Amnesia
by pitchpearlgirl
Summary: What if, instead of Kasha getting hit on the head and killed at the end of the Eelong adventure, Bobby got hit instead? What if, instead of dying, he lost his memory, and was found by (and fell for, possibly,) our friendly neighborhood demon? What if?
1. Prologue

Well, folks, here's my new project. I've been planning it out for a while, and finally started writing things down. I really hope this goes well, although I honestly don't know if it will.

I'm going to try to have at least two chapters ahead done before posting one, so don't expect any sort of posting schedule. And I don't have a beta reader, so just inform me of any mistakes you see, grammar, continuity, or other, and I'll fix them.

Sorry for the short chapter, I don't know how to lengthen the prologue.

Hobey-ho

* * *

"Watch out!"

Bobby pulled Kasha with all his might, trying to get her out of the growing hole without dropping her. The tunnel was shaking hard, rocks falling all around them even harder. The flume was collapsing, all because Mark and Courtney used it. He knew Uncle Press was right when he told them not to mix the territories; now Eelong was about to be cut off from the rest of Halla because of him. Granted, if he had listened, then Saint Dane would've won his second territory, but let's not talk about that, shall we?

With one last tug, he pulled the heavy klee up and out, right as a rather large boulder dropped right where her head had been. He felt something cold wash over him; an unexplainable feeling that something changed, that something was wrong. It left him feeling buzzy and on his toes, like the catastrophe happening around him wasn't enough to do that.

The ground lurched, throwing him off balance. Under his feet, it began to split again. Right before he fell in, he felt someone push him towards the flume. He turned back, only to have to dodge an incoming falling rock. Dust obscured his vision, and he started coughing to try and clear his lungs. He heard someone shout "Zadaa!" over he din, and faintly heard the musical notes start up behind him. The dust cleared, and he realized he was alone on his side of a growing crack in he ground. His friends, Gunny, Spader, Kasha, and Boon, were stranded.

"We're stuck here, mate! Go on without us!" Spader shouted. Bobby wanted to protest, but the notes behind him grew louder. He felt himself being tugged towards the flume, and knew it was futile.

"I already activated the flume, just go!"

"I can't-" he started. The last thing he saw, was his friends' horrified faces as he collapsed.

With a sickening crack, Bobby's world went black.


	2. Chapter 1

I figured I waited long enough

And here, we have chapter uno, where the real fun starts! Also rather short, sorry.

And for future reference (it doesn't matter here, but) before Eelong, Dane still visited Mark and Courtney and did the thing, but his hair did not go up in flames. I see no reason why he did that in the first place.

* * *

In the depths of the Rokador city, Saint Dane cackled gleefully. In the next room over, a sleeping Bobby Pendragon lay healing. He had felt the flume activate, and knew who it was. Dane had made a short trip there to... welcome him, and had expected the usual snark and drama. What he had not expected, was a bloody and unconscious lead Traveler in the very mouth of the flume. He could have left him there to die, or worse, get eaten by the quigs, but figured that'd be too easy. Instead, the demon had picked up the boy and taken him to his home with the Rokador. He had had to give some creative excuses as to why he was bringing an unfamiliar and injured boy into the city, but with his standing in the committee, it was, _How does Pendragon put it?_ A piece of cake.

He walked into the adjacent room to check on him once more, and saw him shift. The wet rag on the cut on his forehead slid off onto the floor, and Dane saw that it was healing nicely. Not much more than a scratch now.

He sat down in the chair next to the bed the boy was laying on, and waited.

"Ugh, what happened," Bobby groaned as he sat up. "It feels like my head's been run over by a football team." He let out an incomprehensible whining noise, and blinked his eyes wearily.

"I am glad you were able to join me," Dane said, examining his nails. "Although, I was expecting a bit more of a fight, and a bit less... unconsciousness. Ah well, I take what I can get."

He stood up and strolled towards the table, where an array of food was set up, and picked up what looked like an ordinary apple. He examined it while he continued talking.

"Your obliviousness when it comes to finding where I lie in each territory is quite endearing, although it's become boring as of late." He tossed the apple from hand to hand, before turning and tossing it to Bobby. "Eat up. You look like Death."

He fumbled with the fruit, and stared at it a moment, looking confused. He hesitantly took a bite. Blue juice gushed out, and he almost choked. Dane smirked; the boy was probably expecting an apple, but got both the juiciness of an orange and a creamy, somehow sticky, taste. Technically, it was also a berry. Quite an interesting fruit, if he did say so himself. The Rokador were fond of it. He turned, and continued his tirade.

"You're a fool, Pendragon. A complete and utter fool. Don't you ever listen to your elders?" He began to pace slowly in front of the boy. "Bringing the cure from Cloral to counteract the poison, also from Cloral, was ingenious. It would have worked perfectly, too, as you brought just enough so that there would have been naught left over of neither malady nor antidote." He laughed. "Press would have grudgingly agreed, and made sure. But no, then you had to go the extra mile and bring your little friends from Second Earth too? Ha!

"Well now, because of your little screw up, my job just got easier. I've been integrating myself in their system for years, and they trust me. With the Travelers from Eelong, Cloral, and First Earth out of commission, and you, trapped here, Zadaa is practically mine!" He turned to see Bobby's reaction, expecting anger, shock, or even astonishment. Instead, his face was blank. Fury filled the demon; he expected some sort of emotion from the boy, not this apparent boredom.

"Well?" He taunted. "What do you have to say? Everything you've worked for, everyone you've saved, is soon to be for nothing! I'm going to win! React, dammit!"

Then Bobby asked the one question Saint Dane least expected.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

He sat there, shocked. Bobby tried again.

"Where am I?"

Still no reaction. The boy looked down and started fiddling with the fruit.

"You seem familiar, but I can't remember anything."

That spurred the demon into action. He straightened up, and folded his hands behind his back.

"You know what? Never mind. Ignore everything I said." _Of course, amnesia!_ _This could be good. This could be great!_ "It's just, I'm tired. I'm spouting nonsense!" _Imagine the possibilities!_ "Well, except for the Traveler bit. But you'll find out about that later!" _Finally, a chance for him to be on my side!_

"For now, friend, let me tell you a bit about yourself."


	3. Chapter 2

Oh man guys, I am so sorry. I kinda forgot about this for a period, then there were midterms at school, then there were minor family troubles, and I got too distracted to finish.

When I finally got a reminder from someone about it, I scrambled to finish. I went through the outline I made and ended up scrapping half of it and rewriting the other half. I cut out an entire section, and feel a lot better about it now.

Now, on with the long awaited second chapter!

* * *

"Wings out, feet in!"

"No, not like that!"

"Thrashing your tail does nothing!"

"_Watch the bookcase!_"

Giving the boy supernatural powers was the easy part. Just wiggle your fingers, sprinkle some glitter, smoke and mirrors, and don't tell him that it he had them the whole time. Easier since he doesn't remember the 'before' part. No, the problem with this whole situation was, once Saint Dane showed him how to use them and got his 'apprentice' into the air, he couldn't get him down. Might as well teach him how to properly fly instead.

Originally, the plan was to tell Bobby everything (Dane's version, of course), sway the boy's resolve so he's always seen as in the right, throw a little hocus-pocus around possibly to keep him in line (still Bobby, still stubborn) and dispose of him once Halla is under the demon's control. The first part worked effortlessly; the boy paid rapt attention to the woven tales of the chaotic territories and Saint Dane's quest to instill order. He smoothed over the rockier, more genocidal bits, and explained them as something necessary for the greater good. Bobby had seemed reluctant to leave it at that though.

"But does the end always justify the means?" the ex-Traveler had asked. Dane had agreed that yes, in this case, it did. But something about that inquiry had stuck with him.

The reason the rest of his nice little plan had shattered was that, in Dane's unending laziness when it comes to the small things, he had simply turned into smoke to enter the adjoining room to his and unlocked the door from the inside, instead of calling someone in with the key. He had opened the door only to see Bobby's dumbstruck face, still looking at the crack at the bottom of the door where he had disappeared. His head had snapped up and he said the five words which had taken the productivity out of this afternoon.

"Can you teach me that?!"

Smoke, while relatively easier to do, was more disorienting as a first transformation. That was why Bobby was now zooming around an irritated Dane's head and possibly causing brain damage as he twittered and screeched the language of a robin. (Saint Dane preferred ravens, but the boy had conjured up the other bird from the recesses of his muddled and missing memories of Second Earth).

Dane collapsed onto the cot set up in this room. It was not a commonly used room, being connected to Dane's own room, and despite how much everyone in the Rokador tribe claimed to love him, no one was willing to room next door. No matter, as Dane didn't particularly like the thought that someone could just randomly pop in whenever they wanted. (An incident involving a dressing gown and what passes for pancakes here a couple years back spurred everyone into installing locks on both sides of the doors, and Dane was at least grateful it didn't happen to him. Still, no one moved in). He had grown used to it being empty, and it had been gathering dust. The bed had been moved out long ago, to be used somewhere else for some other person, and so a small, uncomfortable looking grey cot was brought out of storage until a new bed could be made.

The demon decided to ignore the feathery ball of energy flying around his head and picked up Bobby's Traveler ring from the desk next to him. He examined the intricate carvings around the grey stone. When he had first taken Bobby in, after he found him bloody and unconscious three days ago, Dane had slipped the ring off his finger to hide it, and ended up studying it. He had created the flumes, and Press the rings, so he hadn't yet had a chance to look at them before. The rock was the same bland grey mass as his new Solara (_That needs to change_, he thought. _Redecorating soon_) and the metal band was boring and plain. But the carvings for each of the territories were simplistic, yet nice. _Press really has a hand for designs._ Dane's grin slipped slightly. _Or rather, had._

He was pulled out of dangerous territory by Bobby ungracefully flying into the side of his head. Saint Dane swatted at him and glared at the boy-turned-bird. He chattered happily, then took on a concerned and questioning look and chirped what could only mean 'What's wrong?' Dane sighed and set the ring back down. Time to lighten the mood.

"Sorry, what?" He dramatically cupped his hand next to his ear. "I can't understand you, little birdie." Bobby shrieked indignantly and spun in a tight circle. Dane chuckled; technically, he could forge a minor telepathic bond between them and they could speak despite the species gap, but it was much more fun watching the small angry bird play charades. Dane waved his hand around and chuckled. "Maybe if you'd listened to me earlier..." He sang. The demon yelped as Bobby pecked at his fingers and he shooed him off. Pesky bird. _Maybe if I flashed a cookbook he'd..._

_OH NO_

A fully human Bobby Pendragon appeared above him, with a shocked look on his face. They had a second to simultaneously think 'Shit' before he fell on top of his mentor and sprawled across his lap. There was silence for a moment, when Dane noticed Bobby start shaking. He tried to sit up to see if he was okay, or maybe push him off, but he was held down by the boy's weight. The reason for his tremors was then revealed.

"Aw man, your face!" Bobby giggled as he tried to sit up, but his arms were shaking from his laughter and he only ended up shifting slightly. "I totally got you back for that comment, with the 'little birdie' and the, aha, the thing. Hahaha God your _face_ though when I changed back..." He trailed off as he pushed himself up and seemed to realize what position they were in.

They were so close their noses were brushing. Bobby was a warm presence pinning him to the cot, and Saint Dane could feel the boy's elevated heartbeat speed up even more. Their breaths mingled and he offhandedly thanked himself that he'd remembered to brush his teeth that morning. Bobby's gaze flickered to his lips, and Dane's breath hitched slightly because if he leaned forward _just a bit..._

There was a brisk knock on the door and a Rokador messenger entered without waiting for an answer. She started saying something but stopped when she realized the compromising position they were scrambling to get out of.

"Am I... interrupting something, Lord Dane?" she asked with a sly smile. He gave up trying to simply sit up and pushed the wiggling ex-Traveler onto the floor. Bobby landed with a _thump _and sent a poisonous glare at him from the floor. The demon Traveler cleared his throat and hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt.

"No, we were just, um, talking, is all," he stammered. The messenger giggled and said, "Well, when you're done 'talking', Lady Reena and Lord Jedda have some matters concerning the Tiggen guards assigned to their corridor they wish to discuss with you." She closed the door and was heard walking off, but not before calling "Don't take too long!"

Saint Dane fell back onto the cot and covered his eyes with his arm. After all he expected to happen when he took Bobby in, that was not a scenario. Leftover adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, and he took a deep breath to calm down. _What just happened?_ he asked himself. _We were close enough to kiss! And I didn't mind? Pendragon is my archnemesis. I'm supposed to be twisting and controlling him, not-_ He stopped that train of thought.

He stood up and dusted his suit off, then noticed Bobby was still in the same place he fell. He now had a thoughtful look on his face. Dane folded his hands behind his back and stepped over him, 'accidentally' kicking him in the knee. The boy snapped out of his reverie and sat up. He glanced to his mentor, but shied away from his gaze, a blush evident. Dane looked off to the side and scratched the back of his neck; the awkwardness in the air was near tangible. Finally, he decided to break the ice.

"Well, I'm just going to..." he trailed off and pointed towards the door, taking a step towards it. Bobby nodded slightly, then stood up and stretched. Dane could hear the pops as his vertebrae realigned. He sniffed and turned to leave, then said over his shoulder "Don't forget to practice, and, um," he scrambled for something to say. Talking has never been this hard for him before, what was happening? "Just, come get me if you need anything."

The boy nodded again and threw him a small smile. Saint Dane smiled back and closed the door, before leaning up against it. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and pushed off to see what the elite wanted this time.

* * *

Bobby stared at the door as his mentor left. If you were to look closely, you'd see he was no longer looking at it, but had his unfocused gaze trained on it as he was lost in thought. He sat there for a few minutes, thinking of nothing and everything (but mostly of how close they'd been such a short time ago).

_Why?_ was his most prominent thought. He'd only known the man for a short time - at least, he only remembered him that much - but that small little mishap had him seeing Dane in a whole new light. He acted cold (he certainly felt it), uncaring, dismissive, but when Bobby got the chance to look into those cold blue eyes, he saw more emotion he thought possible. Something sparked within him then, coiled deep within his gut, and he thought if I leaned in _just a little bit..._

No. Stop. He should not be thinking of his (Mentor? Caretaker? Friend?) that way. Besides, his reaction to their close proximity earlier was probably just some heat of the moment thing. Anyone else would've done the same...

A sparkle in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to look at the desk situated next to the cot he was sitting on. The ring! Something was happening to it! He watched in awe at the brilliant light show.

It grew brighter, music started, and it started to grow, and at that moment, Bobby began to panic. _What if it's dangerous? _Dane was messing with it earlier, examining it, but he wasn't really paying attention to what he did. He was rather occupied with his discovery of flight. What if it was, like, a bomb or something, and Dane was trying to diffuse it? (Now the thoughts were getting a bit ridiculous, but he was panicking).

He looked and saw that the ring was now the size of a frisbee, before the lights flashed even brighter. Bobby jumped up and stumbled towards the door, desperate to get away. He fumbled for the handle and flung it open, dashing through the hallway to find his mentor. _He'll know what's happening, and if it does explode, I'm nowhere near it._

If Bobby had stayed a a moment longer, he would have seen everything stop. He would have seen the small green envelope appear, labeled 'Spader'.

Instead he ran.

* * *

Now, I will give a forward warning, it may be a couple weeks before the next chapter comes out. I haven't started it yet, and I want to have at least two more done before I post the next. I just felt bad, and posted this as soon as I finished.

Hobey ho!


	4. Chapter 3

Ye, look at me, uploading a chapter that's not a month late. Enjoy this while it lasts

* * *

_Ninety-nine Rokador elite on the wall,_

_Ninety-nine Rokador elite,_

_If I lose my patience_

_And one gets shot down,_

_Ninety-eight more fucking complaints on the wall_

Saint Dane groaned internally as Lady Reena continued to whine about the guards. Something about them eavesdropping at her bedchamber door, but he had stopped listening after the sixth time she repeated that nothing worth eavesdropping on was happening behind the door. _Her and Lord Jedda were probably going at it again, but that's none of my business_, Dane thought sarcastically. He had quite the inner monologue going on, if he did say so himself. Just, better to keep it from slipping out. He might lose their trust if they found out how lowly he thought of them.

While they were going back and forth agreeing with one another and adding onto the ridiculous lie they were spinning, the demon cradled his head on his hands. A headache was forming from listening to their loud banter. _If I could just shut them up..._

Everyone went silent as a commotion behind the door to the small meeting room was heard. Dane looked up from his hands as the door burst open, and started to stand up as a flustered and scared looking Bobby Pendragon ran in, followed by the two Tiggen guards assigned outside the door. The boy looked around quickly, bowed to the elite (as was required), and started pulling at Dane's arm, babbling under his breath about something. Jedda looked scandalized that such a thing could happen while he was in the middle of ranting. Dane secretly thanked Bobby for getting him out of there.

"Excuse me! Who is this?!" Reena screeched indignantly. "Just WHO does he think he is, barging in on a very important meeting with the ELITE?!"

Bobby looked startled by this sudden outburst. He turned slightly and whispered "Is this a bad time...?"

"No it's perfect," he said quietly. He raised his voice a bit so the Lord and Lady could hear. "In fact, we were just finishing now."

"B-but," Jedda sputtered. He seemed lost. "The guards!"

Dane huffed and turned around. "If it's such a problem, fire them. Change their position. Kill them, for all I care. I don't see why you had to come to me about this." He grabbed Bobby by the arm and stormed out, hiding a smug smile at their matching red faces. The guards followed them out and resumed their positions, the one on the right having to stifle giggles.

They walked a bit away and turned a corner, out of hearing range of the guards. Dane immediately released him and asked, "So, why the sudden emergency?" Bobby's spooked look from earlier came back, as if he'd forgotten the reason he'd been scared, and suddenly remembered.

"The ring."

Saint Dane flinched, and started walking towards their chambers. Bobby followed him, and continued telling what happened.

"It started glowing about a few minutes after you left, but I didn't think much of it. Okay, actually I did," he amended. "I thought maybe it was something it was supposed to do, seeing as it was something of yours, and everything that has to do with you seems to have some sort of magical properties. It started glowing brighter, and I heard music coming from it, and then it started moving and I thought, what if it's not safe? What if it's a bomb, or a weapon disguised as a dull ring, or what if it's a gateway to another dimension and dangerous things are coming through?" Dane worried about how close to the truth he'd come with that last one.

"So I ended up just being cautious and getting you, and if it's not safe, well, no one was in there, so everything's fine. If it is okay, no harm no foul, right?" He finished rambling and looked hopefully up at the demon. Dane, however, had tuned him out and was formulating a plan to hide the ring and whatever came out it. It could only be a letter from one of his Traveler friends, asking where he is. If Bobby were to read it, what could stop him from remembering? Actually, never mind. Now that he thought about it, Dane didn't think reading a letter from someone he didn't remember could trigger him regaining his memories. Still, as Bobby said, 'No harm, no foul'.

They got to the door in record time. Dane walked right in, but noticed the boy hesitating at the doorway. He spotted the green letter sitting next to the harmless looking ring and seemed like he was about to ask a question. Before he could, the demon snatched it up and tilted his body so Bobby couldn't see the name 'Spader' scrawled across the back.

'_Bobby,_

_Hobey, mate, where ya been? Last we saw you, you'd just got conked on the head and disappeared through the flume. Gunny, Kasha, and I have been super worried. Boon sent a message through to your acolytes to see if they've heard from you, but they haven't. Hope you haven't gotten in a tum-tigger yet._

_If you don't get this, we'll send something to Loor. Since you're on the same territory, maybe she'll be able to find you._

_Hobey-ho!_

_Spader and the gang'_

This was bad. If they sent a message to that violent girl, Loor, there'd be nothing stopping her from saving Bobby. Dane always knew she had a thing for him, and him for her. Ever since that day in the mines at Denduron, before his plan there went to ruin. He'd have to hide the boy, hurry his plan along. Eliminate the girl, maybe

He jerked at a hand on his arm. Saint Dane turned and looked down to see Bobby trying to peek over his shoulder, or around his arm to see the letter. He huffed and pulled away, frowning.

Bobby grumbled, "Why you gotta be so freaking tall man." Dane quirked an eyebrow at this. "Seven feet is ridiculous. No one is that tall." He chuckled and folded the letter back up, sliding it and the ring into his sleeve. _Better hide that away later,_ he thought. _Burn the letter, if possible._

"Well, maybe I like my height. Maybe I enjoy looking down on everyone," he stated. Bobby chuckled and muttered "And maybe you're compensating for something," under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," he smiled innocently. "So, what was that letter about?"

Dane hesitated. What should he tell him? "Just a message for me," he dismissed the boy. "Not an emergency, but thank you for telling me. And getting me out of there."

Bobby smiled sheepishly. "I guess I did kinda overreact."

Saint Dane snickered. "You really did. But, it was to be expected. Something was happening that you haven't experienced before, and you reacted accordingly to what you knew." He put his hand on the ex-Traveler's shoulder, and said as warmly as he could, "Dont worry. You have nothing to worry about with me around."

He only realized how close they were when Bobby leaned forward slightly. Suddenly he had an armful of Bobby Pendragon, and he didn't quite know what to do with his arms. He froze up for a few seconds, then settled them around the boy's shoulders.

Bobby sighed into the fabric of Dane's suit, then seemed to realize what he was doing. The demon was pulled out of the warm (and slightly confused) haze he was sinking into rather roughly, as Bobby jerked away. Dane noticed rather belatedly that the boy's face was crimson, and cleared his throat as he felt his own face heat up.

"I-I, uh, just wanted to say th-thank you, for the, um, for reassuring me and caring for me and, for, uh, telling me what I missed during my time of, um, amnesia." The awkwardness in the air was near tangible as Bobby stuttered out an excuse. He started pushing Dane towards the door separating their rooms.

"AndnowIneedsometimealonesothanksbye."

The door slammed and he heard he lock on the other side click.

Saint Dane's only thoughts as he unconsciously dressed for dinner were summed up as: _Oh shit._

* * *

I have the next chapter done. Expect it in a week.

Hooray for planning things out in advance! And ignore that weak ending I'm so sorry.


	5. Chapter 4

Here let's have a POV not from the two lovebirds. I don't know if this'll be the only one from hers though, so enjoy it just in case.

* * *

Loor hummed a song softly to herself as she walked along, small jug of water balanced on her head. She weaved through the crowds like a dancer, all agility and grace, not spilling a drop. Water was scarce, and every single drop was precious.

There wasn't much joy in Xhaxhu nowadays, with the drought in full force and the rivers near dry. People plodded along their daily chores, unsmiling and unfeeling. Even the happiness one found in a simple song was rare. However, the Festival of Azhra was in a week, and joy filled everyone's hearts at the thought of the merriment soon to be upon them. For at least a few short hours, they could let go of their worries. Unfortunately, there were rumors of another raid of the Rokador city being planned, circulating amongst the Ghee barracks Loor housed in. A small one, but so close to the festival...

A movement on her finger pulled her out of her thoughts. She recognized it; a message was coming through her ring. Saangi occasionally got messages from the other acolytes, but it had been quite some time since Loor got a message that way from another Traveler. She ducked into an alley away from the main crowd, gently set the water jug and her ring down, and waited.

Once the light show was over, she quickly scooped up the letter and the ring. It was a thin envelope of brown paper, with the name 'Gunny' written in big letters on the back. She remembered Pendragon had told her of this Gunny; the Traveler from First Earth. But why would he be contacting her?

'_Loor,_

_You might or might not know me. My name is Vincent van Dyke (or Gunny) and I'm the Traveler from First Earth. More importantly, though, is that I'm a friend of Bobby Pendragon's. I'm currently trapped on Eelong with Spader and Kasha, but maybe not for much longer. We're on a journey right now to find the other flume here, since Spader has it in his head that there are two on each territory. If that's true, we'll find out soon._

_As I'm writing this, Spader's writing another letter to Bobby. When the flume here collapsed, Bobby was able to get to Zadaa, but he got knocked out in the mouth of the flume. We don't know if it was fatal or not, but we know he's at least there. If you got this letter, then you should know that the letter to Bobby didn't get through. Or at least, he didn't reply. If we don't get a message back from him in three days, I will send this letter to you._

_Please find our friend. He is Halla's only hope._

_And when you do, smack him upside the head for worrying us._

_Gunny'_

Loor folded up the letter and slipped it in a small pocket in her leather armor. This could possibly be bad. She hadn't heard from Bobby since the incident on Cloral, and to find out that he was possibly here, on Zadaa, grievously injured? If he was, she needed to find him, now.

She picked up her jug of water and balanced it back in her head, before turning out of the alley and continuing back to the barracks. She moved quicker than before, and didn't hum. Loor was on a mission, and it involved Saangi.

When she got back to her residence, she set the jug down and called for her acolyte. Saangi poked her head out of the bedroom area, where Loor guessed she'd been dressing for the day. The girl walked over with a questioning look on her face.

"What troubles you, sister?

"We must go to the flume," Loor said briskly, gathering her weapon from where she'd left it next to the door. "I received a massage from the First Earth Traveler that Pendragon is here, but is injured. We must be quick; according to him, this was around a week ago. He may be hurt, and still there."

She didn't say all she was thinking. Worst case scenario - and her deepest fear - was that the injury he sustained was fatal, and all they would find was a dead body. Saangi apparently had similar thoughts, if the somber look on her face was any indication.

They left, sneaking through the Rokador tunnels, until they got to the room with the trapdoor leading to the flume. Loor uncovered the ring, pulled it open, dug her fingers and toes into the crevices, and slid down. Saangi followed right behind. If Bobby's body were here, she didn't know what she would do. He was supposed to be the lead Traveler, and without him, who were they supposed to follow? Press had chosen him for a reason, even if Loor hadn't quite figured the reason out yet. And, she allowed herself the small thought, that she might have harbored feelings for the boy. What then? When she got to the bottom, she braced herself for the absolute worst, and turned around.

Nothing.

Loor was pleasantly surprised, but that raised another question. Where was he? He was obviously conscious, seeing as he walked away from the flume. As Saangi climbed down behind her, the warrior walked closer to inspect something dark on the ground in front of the flume.

Blood.

Loor's breath caught. It was dry, but clearly blood. A rather large puddle of it. Her acolyte walked over to see the reason for Loor's gasp, and saw.

This was not good. Where was he? What happened? She looked around the area surrounding the stain, trying to discern if he walked away or not. There were tracks, but very faint. There were hers and Saangi's, and another set that was hard to discern. They seemed to come from the direction of the door? But no one comes down here, save for the Travelers. That set of tracks went to about the area of the bloodstain, shifted around a bit, then turned and left the way they came. They were too big to be Bobby's, and there was no second set of footprints that could possibly be him following the other. Who was this mystery person? Once again, where was Bobby?

There also seemed to be these single wriggling lines crisscrossing the room. Almost as if something small was dragging around. Or slithering...

"Quig!" Saangi shouted. Loor spun around and whipped out her stave. The snake with the yellow eyes had dropped down from the crevice they'd come through, and was swaying on the spot. It's about four feet long, and as thick as her stave. It hissed, it's black tongue flicking out to taste the air. Fanning its head frills out to make itself look bigger, it coiled up, ready to spring. Loor positioned herself low to the ground, ready to defend herself.

The quig sprung, but Loor didn't have to do anything. Saangi was too quick for that; she swiped out in a wide arc. There was a sharp crack when her stave collided with it, and it flew into the wall and slid to the ground. The quig was still.

Loor smiled in appreciation and pride. Her acolyte was becoming quite the warrior; still a long ways to go, but her reflexes were on point. She went to nudge the snake to make sure it was dead, then nearly dropped her stave as the realization hit her.

Saint Dane.

If the quigs were here, he was here. How did she not think of this before? She'd encountered the quigs a couple of times, and Saangi said she'd found some too, when performing her acolyte duties. How did she not connect the facts? The warrior stood up and dashed towards the exit, gesturing for her sister to follow. As they climbed, she explained her discovery.

"Honestly, when I saw the quig," the younger one explained, "my first thought was that he'd been eaten. This makes more sense, seeing as they're so small and he's... not."

Loor said, "If I know Saint Dane, then I think I would rather it have been the quigs." She closed the trapdoor behind them and covered it, before standing and striding towards the exit to Xhaxhu. It was official.

She was going on that raid, after all.

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Leave reviews pls they fill me with love and hope and other squishy icky things


	6. Chapter 5

My writing/posting style requires I finish the next chapter before posting one, and _Jesus the chapter after this was hard to write_. Sorry folks.

This chapter is dedicated to alphaonefourzero, my biggest fan and supporter.

Send in an actual review for once, slacker.

(jk I love you)

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Sun on his back, wind through his feathers, and a song in his heart. Bobby could get used to this whole flight thing. Well, maybe minus the song part. He didn't see why he always had this urge to chirp and sing. Must be a robin thing. He swooped back down to where Saint Dane was soaring and startled him out of his flight pattern. Lost in thought, then. The demon usually paid attention to what his young charge was doing. Now he seemed to just be floating along lazily, a dark feathered shadow on this sunny day, but Bobby could feel his emotions in the back of his mind. Sometimes a minor telepathic bond was helpful.

_Hey birdbrain, whatcha thinking?_ He thought towards his mentor. Separating his thoughts into what he thought to himself and what he wanted Dane to hear was an interesting experience. It required some concentration to keep certain thoughts from flowing over their bond. Like how he seemed to be falling for the man.

It had been two weeks now since he woke up, and Bobby didn't know when exactly it happened. From how he felt, he suspected that he had the feelings from sometime before he lost his memory. Then again, he might just be imagining things.

He immediately felt a door shut in his mind, cutting off his access to Dane's vague thoughts. He noticed Bobby's intrusion, then. Bobby had a bad habit of being nosy. At least he hadn't heard his thoughts. He hoped.

_Lighten up, old man_, he thought. _Have some fun!_ _The elite are occupied, there's no impending disaster, and our lessons are over!_

Dane hummed. _Something just feels... off about today. I don't know, I'm probably being ridiculous._

_Naturally_. Bobby snuck up behind and above the thoughtful raven, and suddenly dropped down on his back. He pushed off, launching himself into the air, while using the force of jumping to push Saint Dane down. He squawked in surprise and flapped after the boy, who was laughing maniacally through the bond.

Dane was catching up to him, having much larger wings (and more experience flying) so Bobby waited until he was right behind him, before tucking his wings in and dropping like a stone. He felt worry come through from Dane's side, but spread his wings before he hit the ground. He swooped up past the dumbstruck raven and slapped at him with his wing on the way up. That seemed to snap the demon out of his daze, because he screeched and took off after the boy.

They twirled through the air, a complex dance under the hot sun of Zadaa. Dane would be on his tail, then Bobby would do some stupid evasive maneuver like snap his wings open and go the opposite direction. The first few times he got totally turned around and confused, then he seemed to notice a pattern to the boy's moves. Soon, they were swooping back and forth, never quite colliding but barely brushing. Bobby felt the joy come though the bond, and realized it had probably been a while since Saint Dane had had this much fun. He was outright laughing, which sounded kind of weird coming from the raven's throat, but got the message across all the same.

Bobby had an idea. _Let's see how high we can go_. He turned upwards and began his climb. Saint Dane followed, a foot or so behind. They corkscrewed around each other as they continued to ascend, until the desert below was but a brown haze. Still they climbed higher. Bobby felt the air getting thinner, and slowed until Dane caught up with him. They hovered for a moment, hundreds of feet on the sky. The boy's wings ached slightly, but it was overshadowed by the exhilaration running through his veins. Without thinking, he interlocked their talons and dropped.

The raven struggled for a moment. _Chill, I know what I'm doing_, Bobby thought, and he calmed. _I hope so,_ Dane replied. They spiraled down, down, down, until they could see the ground coming at them, and Bobby slowly angled his wings out until they was falling at an angle. He released his mentor, who flipped over and joined him in the angled descent. They evened out, and glided on warm air currents about fifty feet above the ground, spent.

The comfortable silence was broken by Bobby giggling over the bond. _So this is what it feels like to be free._ The memories weren't with him, but he did recall this sense of confinement from his past. As if he was always told what he should do, who he needed to be. Now, high in the skies away from that past he didn't even know, he felt released. As the boy looked over at Saint Dane, he felt his heart fill even more. The man was hiding things from him, he knew, but it couldn't possibly be that bad. Everyone had secrets, and everyone had the right to privacy. Bobby just hoped it didn't have anything to do with his past.

Dane acted far too familiar around him, but not in a friendly, good way. For a few days after he woke up, every time he would enter a room the demon was in, he always got this split second look of hostility on his face, and looked like he was about to yell or attack. He told Bobby that he didn't know him before the boy lost his memory, that he just found him in the streets and felt pity for the young one, but Bobby had his doubts. The man's negative reactions early on were one sign of this.

Now, though, he didn't think they could be closer. He ate meals with Saint Dane and the elite, traded jokes and witty banter that left the other council members in tears, and went everywhere together (well, not everywhere, but you get the point). Their relationship had gone from mentor and student to something like friends whom one had something cool to show/teach the other.

Bobby knew it was probably wrong to want it to be more (and part of him thought for more reasons then he knew but wouldn't tell him why).

He'd suspected his feelings were growing when he acted without thinking and _hugged him why did I do that._ The demon's reaction had been pleasant, at least until Bobby realized just what he was doing and pulled away. The embarrassment in the air was tangible and he had quickly gotten Dane out of the room before he realized that Bobby was blushing fierce enough to melt a glacier (little did he know, the man in question was just as red). He had taken an hour or so to sort through his feelings, and the only conclusion he had come up with was simply: _I'm in love._

_This is indeed_. Saint Dane's distant thoughts came to him. For a second, he was terrified the demon had heard his inner monologue, but realized it was an answer to his earlier question. He seemed to be lost in thought too. Bobby couldn't quite read him, but he felt an inner turmoil inside his head. His mentor seemed to have a lot on his mind recently. Bobby glided closer and brushed his wingtip against the other's, trying to get his attention. It worked. The demon glanced over and held his gaze for a few moments. He filled with warmth, and not because of the hot sun.

Bobby saw it a split second before he hit. While they were soaring along, thinking their individual thoughts, neither was paying attention to where they were traveling. They had gone from the long expanse of the desert to over the grand city of Xhaxhu without realizing it. In that few precious seconds when they were looking at each other, they collided with one of the buildings.

Actually, Bobby collided. Dane clipped his wing and skidded to a stop on the roof, while his student slammed into the side and fell like a rock. The pain was instant, and Bobby couldn't tell up from down as he tumbled to the ground. He hit the dirt of the street face first and lay there in a daze. Vaguely Bobby heard Dane cawing from the rooftop, and saw the blurred face of a familiar-looking girl looming over him, before consciousness fled him.

* * *

_Oh no oh no oh no._

The afternoon had been going so great. Bobby had mastered flying, shut up for once, and they spent a lovely day out soaring over the earth. Their little dance was interesting, and distracted Saint Dane from his thoughts for a time, but when things calmed down the problem at hand came back and smacked him in the face.

He was falling for his archnemesis.

Apparently his subconscious knew this before he did, and was using a little of the energy he was gathering in his new Dark Solara to subtly change his look. Dane had gone to the mirror that morning to comb his hair and noticed that it looked a lot darker than he remembered. He also seemed... shorter? By an inch or two, at least. He never really cared for his looks, but apparently he was putting a bit more effort than he realized into making himself look better. And all for that... boy. That boy he hated not a month ago.

That boy who just introduced his face to the side of a building.

The demon scrambled for the ledge to look over and see if he was okay. He peered over the edge and saw a limp looking robin laying next to the wall. He prepared to flutter down and get a closer look at his wounds when a dark-skinned Batu girl rushed over to examine the hurt bird. Dane narrowed his eyes; she looked familiar, but he couldn't see her face clearly. He saw Bobby twitch and try to sit up, before falling again. Then, to his horror, he saw the bird begin to shift and change back to a boy.

He heard the girl gasp loudly. He didn't know what to do about her now. He couldn't explain things to her, and she was sure to ask questions. He once again prepared to launch down there and possibly scare her off so he could retrieve his student, when she picked him up. She glanced around to see if anyone else saw, and Dane got a good look at her face.

It was Loor, the Traveler from this territory.

This was bad news. She now had Bobby. She saw him transform, which would most likely lead her to the conclusion that Dane was his teacher (being the only one she knew who could do that). Even worse, he might remember her, and would know all the horrible things Saint Dane had kept from him. _Oh, this is very bad._

She ran off, carrying the boy bridal-style, and disappeared around the corner. Probably off to her apartment, to wait for his awakening.

Dane flapped once and zoomed after her, ready to leap out and grab the boy at the first chance. He couldn't let him go now.

Not this far into things.

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Ahaha I love cliffhangers. See you soon!


	7. Chapter 6

Sorry guys I had _two essays_ and**_ three projects _**in _**FIVE DIFFERENT CLASSES**_ I love you all and don't hate me.

And now, the chapter we've all been waiting for...

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Waking up after being knocked unconscious is not a fun thing. Unlike waking up from sleeping, which is usually soft and slow (unless you use an alarm clock), waking up after being knocked out is just plain painful.

For the second time this month, Bobby awoke feeling like his head had been pounded in. He rubbed his sore temple and tried to remember how he ended up this way. Had he been attacked? Trip and fall? Did he run into something?

That last one was close enough that it triggered his memories, and everything came rushing back. He and Saint Dane had been flying, having the time of their lives, and really forming a connection. Suddenly he introduced his face to a rock wall. He remembered seeing Dane far above him, freaking out, and someone leaning over him before he passed out? She seemed kind of familiar, but he'd conked out before he could place her face. He rubbed the uncomfortable sleep out of his eyes, then jumped when he saw his hands.

He was human again! But he distinctly remembered passing out in robin form? Oh man, if he changed back while under the care of that girl then he was in for it. He looked around the room he was in to asses his position.

It was a fairly barren room made of sandy stone, like most buildings on the surface of this territory. There was little decoration, and a plain looking table and chairs a few feet over. There was a wooden door on the wall to his right, and a window covered by a colorful blanket across from him. There was an open doorway to his left, but from his position he couldn't see into it. The couch he was laying on was a sort of deep blue and not that plush, but comfortable enough. He wondered if this was where the girl lived.

As if thinking summoned her, the girl in question walked in from the other room carrying a tray of bread. She stopped when she saw Bobby awake and sitting up, and he got his first good look at her.

She was beautiful, and so familiar it hurt his head not remembering her. She had long black hair braided behind her that swung with her every step and dark chocolate skin. She wore leather-looking armor that barely covered her and showed off a lot of muscle. Little smudges of flour covered her hands, which told Bobby she'd just made the bread she was carrying. When she looked him in the eyes, she looked upon him with familiarity, as if she knew him, and Bobby wished to any god listening he remembered her.

A smile graced her lips as she rushed to his side and set the tray of bread on the floor next to the couch. He jumped back, startled, as she began looking over him and asking questions rapid-fire.

"Are you alright? Where were you? You were supposed to come to me when you got here. Everyone was worried when you did not answer the messages we sent through the rings."

"Um-"

"It matters not, for I have finally found you!"

"Yes, but-"

"And in the most curious way. I was walking along the street when a little bird fell from the sky. It was you, but you passed out before I could ask how you came upon the ability to change your form!"

"You see-" Irritation crept into his voice.

"I was worried when Saangi and I found the blood at the mouth of the flume. We assumed the worst, but now I see that you are fine. She actually left a while ago to fetch something for me, but should be back any second. She shall welcome the fact that you are alive and well, and not-"

"IF YOU WOULD SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND," Bobby intercepted rather loudly, "THEN YOU'D LEARN _I DON'T KNOW WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE_!"

The girl stood there, shocked, with her mouth hanging open. Bobby would have thought it funny, if he weren't so heated.

"I don't know who you are, where I am, or even who I am! If you'd let me talk instead of blabbing on about things that make no sense to me, you'd hear that I don't remember anything."

The shock seemed to wear off, and she shook her head to clear it. "I am Loor."

Bobby huffed. "That doesn't help if I still don't have my memory. What are we? Friends, enemies, lovers, acquaintances?"

She hesitated, as if she wanted to say one thing, but instead said "Friends, yes. And Travelers."

Suddenly Bobby was on the defensive. "I've heard of the Travelers. You guys are dangerous." He jumped off the couch and backed away from her. She looked confused. "Saint Dane told me all about you."

Now it was Loor's turn to leap up. "Saint Dane? You've been with that demon this whole time?" she demanded. His name seemed to incite anger and hatred in her. "Oh, I was right. He did kidnap you and brainwash you. That's why you have no memory. And knowing him, it will be hard getting your memory back." She began to pace, ranting to herself.

While she continued talking, Bobby quietly scoped the place for an exit. She was walking along in front of him, across the length of the couch. When she got to the far left side, he could make a dive for the door on his right. He needed to escape and find Dane, let him know he was okay. He was probably worried out of his mind, especially once he learned where Bobby was being kept. Loor turned, got to the other side, and he made his move.

Using the speed he'd gotten from training with the demon, he leapt for the door. He grabbed the handle and pulled. Locked! He heard Loor step towards him and made another snap decision. He ran for the window, threw the curtain aside, and climbed out, all before she could realize his intention to escape. As he straightened up and turned to run, he heard her yell behind him.

He sprinted down the street blindly. In all their travels and flying lessons, Bobby had never really bothered to make a mental map of Xhaxhu. Why would he? Now, he was starting to think that it might've been a good idea.

At this time of day there weren't many people about, it being baking hot and the drought and all. Bobby did run into a few people though, who all sent him dirty looks and shouted at him. With his pale skin and white robes, Bobby stuck out like a sore thumb. He turned another corner, quickly running out of breath, and slammed into a broad chest. He found himself lifted into the air before he could get his bearings.

"What do we have here?" the Batu said. Bobby looked up as best he could and discovered that, not only did he slam face first into a Batu, but into a Ghee warrior too. The captain of the guard, if the bands around her biceps indicated. Her face was brutish, and her nose crooked, as if it'd been broken before. She stood a foot and a half taller than him, and easily held him off the ground. She stuck her nose in his face and laughed.

"A wee little Rokador, lost on the surface!" The few people nearby stopped to stare and jeer at him. Bobby was terrified. She could easily beat him to a pulp, kill him if she wanted. There was some serious bad blood between the tribes.

"Why don't I shove you back into your little hole, the hard way!" she taunted. Bobby flinched as she rose her fist, bracing himself for the pain. There was no way out of this, he was gonna die or be beaten senseless and left in an alley to die. He was doomed.

"Hey!"

Everyone turned at the newcomer's voice (except Bobby, who was stuck looking up the captain's malformed nose). He felt a hand on his shoulder, and his executioner lowered him to where his toes were scraping dirt.

"Who are you?" the woman sneered, her fingers still tangled in his robes.

"I'm a Ghee trainee, still new," his savior said. The hand tugged a little on Bobby's shoulder. "And I think you found my prisoner."

What? Prisoner? The captain seemed to think this too. "This little runt is your prisoner?"

"Yes. I was taking him in for questioning but he slipped out of his bonds and escaped." The stranger deftly pulled her hand away from him and produced a rope from somewhere. "Thank you so much for catching him for me, and goodbye," he said quickly while tying Bobby's hands together in front of him.

Great. Out of the frying pan and into the saucepan. Now he was a prisoner. But who was this man? Bobby glanced at his face as they walked away from the scary captain lady, but he didn't look familiar. Was he crazy! Did he actually lose a prisoner and mix Bobby up with him? _I guess I'll just have to find out_.

"Um, excuse me," Bobby questioned, "but who are you?"

The trainee shushed him and walked a little quicker. "I'll tell you. We just need to get away from them."

Now things were even more confusing. Was this man a warrior or not? He thought all Ghee Warriors were on the same side, now one of them was helping a Rokador escape?

While he'd been musing, the man had ducked into an alley and pulled Bobby with him. It was darker and cooler here, shaded from the harsh glare of the sun. They leaned against the wall for a second, breath held, listening for sounds of suspicious pursuit. Nothing. The warrior turned to him and smiled.

"About time I got you back." Then he began to change. His shaven hair lengthened to past his shoulders, his black eyes shifted to an icy blue, and his skin paled considerably, until Bobby was face to face with Saint Dane. At this point, he should really not be surprised, but his shock must've been evident, because his mentor laughed.

"Wait a second. Weren't you... taller? And older?" Bobby asked, based on his observations. He was right. Compared to his usual seven feet, he now seemed to hover a bit above six. Still freakishly tall, but not _colossal_. The lines in his face had smoothed out, and his hair was black instead of its usual darkish grey. Wait, but Bobby remembered it being almost white too? Had his hair been getting darker?

"Yes, yes, I've been trying out new things," Dane waved off the query and started looking Bobby over for signs of injury. "Towering over people lost its appeal. Now, are you hurt? Did that Loor girl do anything to you?"

"Um," Bobby stalled under the sudden onslaught of care. "We talked a little, she spouted nonsense, and mentioned she was a Traveler. I promptly beat feet out. Got caught by macho mama then you came along." he summed up. Dane sighed with relief.

"I thought you might have suffered brain damage, the speed you were going when you crashed into that wall. I thought you were done for when you changed form in front of her. I was waiting outside her house, you know. Ready to grab you if she did anything."

Bobby found himself smiling stupidly as his mentor and friend continued rambling. Saint Dane usually had a way with words. If he was as flustered as he seemed right now, it showed he really did care. He had dodged a huge bullet back there. If Loor had tried anything, he didn't know where he'd be. And, Dane cared enough to hover outside, ready to jump in and save him if things turned south. All his affection for the man was bubbling up, and something in Bobby decided to take the biggest risk.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anyth-" his words cut off. After all, it's kind of hard to keep talking when someone is kissing you.

It was unlike anything Bobby had imagined (he admits, he'd thought of this before). Saint Dane's lips were _cold_. His usual chilly body temperature should have told him this, but actually feeling them, _with his own no less_, shocked him. His adrenaline spiked when he realized just what he was doing, and that Dane wasn't reacting. Bad move.

He pulled away quickly and looked into the demon's eyes. They seemed distant, as if he were both looking at him and not. That was a bad sign. Bobby took a step back.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered out, looking at the ground. "I j-just, I wasn't thinking, a-and I'm sorry and you can yell at me or g-go and I d-didn't mean to oh god I'm sorry-" His excuses were halted by a finger to his lips. He looked back to Dane's eyes. Bobby's breath caught at the look of utter happiness- of love. He didn't think he'd ever had such a strong gaze directed at him before. He gulped.

"..." Dane looked like he wanted to say something, but no words left his mouth. He huffed at his own speechlessness. The silence was thick, but broken by the demon licking his lips, finally saying "Don't be sorry," and leaning in.

Bobby thought his heart would burst when their lips connected again. He'd dreaded rejection, especially when he saw the blank look in Dane's eyes after he kissed him. This, this was everything he'd dreamed of. His eyes slid closed as he leaned in, deepening the kiss, and his heart raced as Dane wrapped his arms around he boy. He tried to lift a hand and pull him down to tangle his fingers in that long hair, but his hands were still frustratingly tied. Dane pulled back slightly and touched a hand to the ropes, which glowed briefly and disappeared, before once again pulling his student to him. Bobby's arms went around the man's neck and his fingers through his hair.

Teeth. Warmth spread through him when he felt Dane tugging tentatively on his lip. One hand moved to cup the older man's face, thumb pressing lightly along his jawline. Bobby didn't fully know what to do; he didn't think he had all that much experience kissing before. He decided to follow his gut instinct, which told him to _open his mouth_.

The results were instantaneous. Saint Dane growled low in his chest and switched gears. What had been a slow and sweet first kiss turned into something more heated, more frantic. Bobby whimpered as he felt long fingers digging into his back as a hot, wet, tongue pressed against his own. The push and pull of their mouths hazed his mind over, and he didn't even notice they'd been moving steadily backwards until his back hit the wall of the alley. His heart-rate spiked again, suddenly aware of the implications.

The effects of kissing for long periods of time became known to him, and he started feeling lightheaded. He used his hold on Dane's hair to tug the demon back a fraction. Their breaths mingled in the shared air between them, as Bobby tried (and failed) to get ahold of himself. Dane seemed to think they'd been apart too long, and trailed his teeth along Bobby's jawline. He captured a bit of skin on his neck and nipped at it, smoothing it over with his tongue. Bobby's careful but fragile organization of his thoughts crumbled, and he moaned embarrassingly loudly. _To hell with it all, _he thought, and gave in fully.

Saint Dane had been using his whole body to press him against the wall, but with their height difference, it was a little awkward. Bobby fixed that by pushing down on his shoulders and using the leverage to lift himself slightly, before locking his ankles around the man's waist. The sudden friction from this new position heated something primal in him, and he moaned again. The new angle gave him room to pull the demon's head up to meet his lips again, tearing him from the mark he was undoubtedly making. The boy tried to imitate what Dane had been doing a few moments ago; he flicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, sliding the slick muscle against the other. Electricity sparked through his system as Dane pressed even closer, trapping him with tongue and teeth and this near unbearable _heat_-

"Hey!" A shout from the mouth of the alley shocked them out of their session. A Ghee warrior was standing there, angry with a faint hint of disturbed on his features. Bobby quickly dropped his knees and supported his weight on shaky legs. Saint Dane tensed up, expecting a fight. They stood there, chests heaving, faces scarlet, silence tangible among them.

The Batu opened his mouth to say something, closed it, turned away awkwardly and said "Um, if you wanna continue your... thing, just. Just go. Back to the Rokador city." He cleared his throat. Bobby didn't think his face could get any redder if it was set on fire.

There was quiet for a moment, then the warrior lost his patience. "Go, already! Or I'll be forced to chase you out!"

Bobby extricated himself from between the wall and Dane, grabbed his hand, and tugged him the opposite direction. They ran through the alley and turned the corner. Giddy laughter bubbled out of him then, and he leapt into the air, changing form mid jump. His (Friend? Mentor? Lover?) followed, and the two sailed away on a stray breeze.

Bobby nearly whooped for joy. He did loop through the air, and he figured his happiness was prevalent through the newly forged mental link. He was beyond caring at this point though.

Things couldn't possibly get better.

* * *

Saint Dane's only thoughts (carefully hidden from Bobby) were as follows:

_Did I fuck up?_

_I think I might have fucked up._

* * *

Who knew writing kiss scenes would be so hard

Bet you thought that scene would go where it almost did. No kids, I'm keeping it in the T rating. Barely.


	8. Chapter 7

I'd like everyone to say hello to my shiny new beta, alphaonefourzero! Without whom this chapter would be one big train wreck. As soon as this story is all finished up we're gonna go back and edit the previous chapters together, to make this thing a helluva lot better.

I hope you guys liked the surprise in the last chapter, because the fun has only just begun!

Onwards!

* * *

Saint Dane set his book down and glanced at the door separating his and Bobby's rooms for the twenty-seventh time. Bobby had gone to take a nap an hour ago, claiming to want to get some rest before going to a party tonight, a Batu festival called the Festival of Azhra. Saint Dane was curious as to why the boy would want to go to a surface event, after all that had happened to him there. Bobby said that it seemed colorful and happy, and that _all_ the people on the surface couldn't be that bad. He promised he'd stay out of sight, and Dane reluctantly agreed to let him go. He couldn't possibly resist the boy's pouting. So here he was, passing time reading, and trying not to think about what his new relationship meant for his plans.

If, a few weeks ago, you were to tell Saint Dane that just a little while ago he'd have shared a goodnight kiss with his arch-nemesis Bobby Pendragon, he would have laughed in your face. And probably blasted you to pieces, but still. The very idea was ridiculous, yet it had happened. And he was happy about it.

Happiness. There's an emotion he hadn't fully experienced in a while. Cruel joy, yes. Amusement, definately. Pure, unadulterated happiness, not brought on by someone else's despair? It had been years, too many to count, since he'd felt it. During their flight the other day he'd been _so close,_ but worry after Bobby's crash had chipped the feeling into something less than perfect. Bobby's subsequent kidnapping had diminished it almost entirely. Now? He was brimming with the feeling. It was foreign to him. He loved it. And it had all been brought on without the destruction of a territory.

But what did this mean for his quest? Years of meticulous planning, carefully inserting himself into the cultures of each territory he encountered, gaining the trust of their people, and now Saint Dane didn't think he could lift a finger to hurt his rival. Granted, he'd be perfectly happy if he never saw the other Travelers again - they could go rot in a quig pen for all he cared - but their leader? No. Never again would he harm the boy. Never again would he betray the fragile trust Bobby placed in him the moment their lips met. Never again would he repeat what he did to… No. Not going down that particular memory lane. The pain would be too much.

Unbidden, images flashed through his mind. The look of betrayal on his past lover's face, his pain-stricken blue eyes asking _Why? Why would you do such a thing?_ How Dane had to mask just how much it hurt, fighting him. The way he couldn't say the man's name or hear it spoken for fear of breaking down again, even years after the demon had left Solara and begun his quest for dominance over Halla. What he wanted for Halla was for the good of all, but the way he went about it, Dane admitted, was not.

But his old lover was gone, and these were but memories troubling him. No more wasting time on them. Now he had Bobby, and questions. Questions about whether or not what he was doing was completely right.

_BAM BAM BAM_

The demon jumped at the hurried banging at his door. He ran to it and threw it open, intent on zapping whoever this was into a pile of ashes. A terrified messenger looked up at him, and he calmed slightly. One of the elite wanted him, apparently. But at such an hour? _It better not be those two bickering lovers again, or so help me I'll-_

"Th-there's been an invasion, Lord Saint Dane sir," the messenger stammered out. "Some Batu w-warriors have attacked the city. M-more than usual. The warriors need b-backup, and the elite summoned you." The poor boy looked like he was about to faint from fright, so the demon eased off on the 'radiating fury'.

"Just-" he sighed. "Just tell them I'll be there in a minute." He closed the door and heard footsteps scurrying away, at the other end of the hallway in seconds.

He walked into the adjoining room, intent on waking Bobby up to take with him. No telling how far the warriors had advanced, and he didn't want to take the chance one of them might attack Bobby. They'd been practicing combat along with everything else, but honestly? The boy was rubbish at fighting. He wouldn't last a single battle, especially if it was against a fully-trained Batu warrior.

"Bobby." He gently shook the boy's shoulder. Bobby grunted and mumbled something unintelligible. "Bobby, wake up. We have to leave."

"Nnnngh, five more minutes mom…"

Dane grinned slightly at this. "If I'm your mother, then there's a bit of a problem with our relationship."

A tired, demented giggle escaped Bobby's mouth, and he slowly sat up. "What's going on?" He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"There's been a problem."

* * *

Bobby was much more alert as they rushed through the corridors towards Mission Control (he didn't know where he remembered that phrase from but for some reason it was funny). Saint Dane had filled him in on what the messenger said, and on where he would be staying. Bobby almost started complaining, but changed his mind. He didn't feel like fighting. Plus, if Dane was joining the fight, the others wouldn't stand a chance. He swelled up with pride at his mentor's skills.

As they were walking, Bobby got a really cheesy idea. He'd probably have hit himself for thinking of it, had he gotten more sleep and were more awake, but his tired brain said 'screw it, let's embarrass the old man'. He reached forward and interlaced their fingers. He felt Saint Dane jerk in surprise next to him and start to pull away, but Bobby held his hand tighter and averted his eyes, his cheeks aflame. The demon chuckled nervously beside him.

"That's cliche even for you, Pendragon," he said. Despite this, they continued the rest of the way hand in hand.

They arrived at the control station to a flurry of activity. People were running around flipping levers, turning switches, and generally making chaos. They were preparing to flood the city, if the need arose. Towards the back of the room were a bunch of fancy chairs set up where the elite sat. Several of them were asleep, some were talking, and the two children were playing with a stuffed zhou beast doll. They looked up when the two arrived, and Bobby briefly felt his face heat at their still-interlocked hands. Dane gently squeezed the boy's hand and he calmed. They walked over to the general, who was shouting orders to a troop leader. She sent him away and stood at attention as the two approached.

"How many and who is leading them?" Saint Dane demanded, coming straight to the point.

"Three dozen warriors made their way to the front gates before they were intercepted. They are currently being held off just inside the city by the finest of the Tiggen guards. As for their leader…" She hesitated, as if afraid to tell them.

"It's the warrior woman, Loor."

Bobby stiffened. _The Traveler. _She must have found out where he was staying, and gathered a group to steal him away from Saint Dane. Speaking of, the man glanced at him when he felt Bobby twitch, and saw the expression on his face. He gestured for the general to wait a moment and pulled Bobby off to the side.

Before he had a chance to say anything, Dane beat him to the punch.

"No," he said, folding his arms.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"Let me rephrase that: No, you cannot come with me." The boy groaned. He needed to go. Loor was coming for _him_, after all. He said as much.

"Pendragon, your powers are new, your fighting style is lacking, and I don't want you to get hurt," the demon said firmly. He had a point. Bobby was still learning how to fight in battle. It made him all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that part of the reason was protective instinct. He huffed.

"Fine. You win," he said, pouting.

"Thank you." Dane smiled at him. There was a moment of comfortable silence in which they sat grinning at each other before they were pulled roughly back to reality.

"Sir, they're getting closer," the general said. "I hate to intrude upon this touching moment, but our troops need reinforcements."

"I'll be just a moment. Gather the soldiers and wait for my command." Saint Dane turned back to Bobby as she hurried off. He swooped in and gave the boy a quick kiss. "Now go sit with the elite. This shouldn't take long." He walked off to join the readying troops.

"Hurry, old man!" Bobby shouted after him before wandering over to where the elite council was sitting, his lips still tingling.

He plopped down on the floor beside one of the thrones and sighed. He had to find a way to at least see what was happening. Bobby had this feeling that he knew Loor more than Dane was telling him. Something was off about this whole shebang, and he was determined to find out what. But first, he needed to get _out of this fucking room_.

He started at a gnarled hand on his shoulder. One of the older members of the elite- Bessu, he thought was his name- was smiling at him. He patted Bobby's shoulder in a grandfatherly way and spoke in a rough voice.

"He likes you a lot, you know," he rasped. "Lord Dane wouldn't take that kind of sass from just anyone." Bobby smiled and looked down bashfully.

"Yeah, I know," he admitted.

"That man is a tough nut to crack, but underneath the icy exterior, I feel he's ready to do anything for you," Bessu said. He took his hand back and settled himself more comfortably in his chair. "Even forgive you."

Bobby looked up. Was he saying what he thought he was saying…? The old man smiled slyly at him, and tilted his head towards the door. "If he's out on the battlefield, he'll keep you safe."Bobby grinned. He stood up slowly, careful not to alert the other elite of his escape. One look told him he didn't have to worry; everyone was either asleep or talking with each other. No one would notice he had gone.

"Thanks," he whispered to Bessu.

The elderly elite member shooed him off. "There's a spare emergency equipment room two doors down the hallway. I won't tell."

Bobby slipped out the door and headed the direction Bessu said. He found the door in no time, and retrieved one of the short metal clubs he'd been learning to use. He tested its weight and wrapped his hand firmly around it.

Go time.


	9. Chapter 8

I am back, baby! And feeling better than ever, too. The long wait is over, and I have my inspiration back. The biggest thanks in the world to my wonderful beta, alphaonefourzero, whom without I'd still be stuck in a proverbial ditch. She stuck with me through my writing tantrums and gave me courage when I had none. So glad you stuck with me through this particularly tough spot. I owe ya one, Alpha!

Now for a quick note. I've been reading the Pendragon series with my younger sister, and recently we finished Zadaa. This led me to the realization that I have how everything works on that territory pretty much screwed up. I have the location of both Kidik City and Island completely off, I gave the Batu way more knowledge of Kidik than they actually have, and the sequence of worldly events are out of order. At this point in the story, I don't know how to fix it. With help from my lovely beta, we came up with a partial solution. I'm gonna leave it be. If it bothers you, consider it a canon divergence or something. When Alpha and I go through after I'm done and edit the whole story, we may make some changes and tweak it a bit, but overall, this is how the story goes. Ignore everything wrong with the world. It'll be fine. No one will hurt you. Shh...

I'm tired.

On with the story!

* * *

Thrust.

Parry.

Slice.

Block.

Repeat.

The steady rhythm of battle comforted him. The fight was in their favor now that the reinforcements had arrived, so Saint Dane remained at the edges of the fray, watching his troops' progress. The occasional Ghee warrior would make a pass at him, but he kept them at bay with minimal effort. He smiled; by the time they were done, it would be just in time to go fetch Bobby, clean up a bit, and take him to the Festival of Azhra above ground. Dane would have to keep an eye on the boy, though, in case Loor tried any funny business.

He swept a strand of hair behind his ear, glanced to the edge of the battlefield, and froze. The very object of his thoughts was fighting near the gates. Cold dread trickled through Dane's chest as he saw a Batu take a swipe at Bobby's head. He almost screamed for Bobby to watch out, but saw him duck quickly and knock the warrior's legs out from under him. The boy really was getting better, but Dane was still worried. He fought his way through the crowd of lashing poles towards his lover.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he shouted when he got there. "I told you to stay with the elite!"

Bobby smirked and whacked a Batu upside the head, spinning the rod in his hand. "Just couldn't stay away from you, babe."

Dane let out an ungainly snort at the sarcasm in the boy's voice. "You're just lucky I like you or I'd kick you back out of this mess."

"Love you too, asshole." The demon's heart stuttered at the wording. He caught Bobby's eye, and got a soft smile in return. They turned back to the fight at hand.

Saint Dane put a bit more effort into the battle now that he had someone behind him to protect. They ducked and weaved around one another, and he realized that Bobby didn't really need Dane to keep him safe. He handled the fight well, smacking away any warrior that got too close to the gate. The boy really had been holding back during training, and his true talent was now shining through. Dane relaxed. He actually started to enjoy himself a little.

Until they got separated. Three Ghee fighters pushed in between them, and when they passed, Bobby had disappeared. Dane's heart jumped into his throat and he spun around frantically, looking for him. He spotted Bobby about halfway across the sea of warriors. Dane's eyes widened.

Loor. Bobby was clashing poles with the warrior girl, and they seemed to be arguing. Loor was shouting things at him as Bobby got angrier and angrier. Dane couldn't hear them with all the commotion going on around, but he got the gist. She was trying to convince the ex-Traveler of his past. And he looked doubtful.

Saint Dane saw the moment Bobby slipped up. Time seemed to slow as his foot slid on some loose dirt. His stance shifted ever so slightly, and he moved his arms to keep his balance. That split second of distraction wasn't enough for Loor to halt the swing of her stave. She lashed out as he slipped. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what was about to happen.

Her pole collided with the side of Bobby's head with a sickening _crack_, and Dane's heart stopped.

He was at Bobby's side before he even hit the ground. A wave of energy cleared a pathway between them, pushing confused warriors out of the way. Dane fell to his knees in the dirt, cradling his unconscious lover's head in his arms. He checked Bobby over frantically, searching for broken bones or fatal injuries. This couldn't be happening. With Loor's strength, she had the potential to cause some real damage. Maybe even a concussion. _Or amnesia again._ Would Bobby remember him this time? Would he remember their time together? Would he even wake up? The endless possibilities filled his thoughts, each more horrifying than the last.

Dane gathered the boy in his arms and stood up, preparing to take him away to their chambers to rest, invasion be damned. First, though, he needed to get away from the crowd to private area so he could properly check Bobby for injuries. The people here would probably get suspicious if they saw the glow that would come with healing him. Dane turned to leave, but a shout from behind had him turning back.

"What are you doing, you demon?!" Loor demanded. She looked furious and out of breath. Her hair had been braided tightly against her skull, but now strands stuck out at odd angles. He would have laughed at the crazed look on her face had the situation not been so dire.

"Taking him back to make sure you didn't hurt him too badly," he bit out. Dane took pride in the small look of shame that appeared on the warrior girl's face. It was gone too quickly, replaced with rage once more.

"You wish to take him and wipe his mind again!" She stalked towards him as he turned to leave. "Do not twist his mind to your evil ways!" He gritted his teeth; she was getting irritating, and he really needed to check Bobby over before any lasting damage set in. Saint Dane felt her shift behind him.

His hand whipped out, impossibly fast, and grabbed her stave before it cracked across his back. He slowly turned to look Loor in the eye, and smiled at the flash of terror across her face at his own incandescent gaze. It was a cold smile. She tried to pull her rod away, but with a quick twist of Dane's wrist, it snapped in half. He dropped the broken end of the stave and hefted Bobby up, intending to leave. Loor was shocked, and he attempted to use the delay to his advantage and escape. But a noise from the boy in his arms stopped him cold.

Bobby groaned and blinked awake. His eyes were unfocused, but as he looked up at the man who was holding him, they regained their sharpness. The battle around them faded into the background as Dane held his breath. This was the moment of truth.

"S-Saint Dane...?" Bobby croaked. The demon brightened slightly. Bobby remembered him! He opened his mouth to speak. To say what, he didn't know. Something sappy, probably.

"Saint Dane?" Bobby repeated, firmer. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes and his voice. Something horribly familiar. Something that filled the demon Traveler with dread and crushed him utterly.

Fear.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no._ Saint Dane had expected many terrible things, but the possibility that _this _would happen hadn't occurred to him.

"P-put me down!" Bobby shouted, terror lacing his words. His eyes were wild with fear at being so close to his archnemesis, and it broke Dane's heart. He set the boy on his feet and Bobby scrambled away, breathing heavily. "What's going on?!"

Loor jumped in, her shock from earlier gone. "The demon wiped your mind! He was using you as his pawn in his evil plans!" She looked smug at one-upping Dane, but the man was too preoccupied with the horrible dawning realization that Bobby probably hated him now. Why had he been so _stupid?_ He knew that the chances of Bobby regaining his memory were high, yet he hadn't bothered explaining things properly. He hadn't had a chance to tell the boy how he was having second thoughts about this whole 'taking over the universe' thing, and now it was probably too late.

Saint Dane took a half step towards Bobby, but he backed away quickly. Loor took that as a sign to go to him, but he wouldn't be near her either. He slowly walked backwards, shivering and glancing around. He wouldn't meet either of their gazes.

"I-I'm confused," he mumbled. They snapped their gazes to him and he flinched. "I remember you now, Saint Dane. I remember… I hated you." Dane looked away. "But I have feelings for you too, and-" Bobby groaned, clutching his head. "And I don't know how to feel. I'm the lead Traveler, but you said they were bad? And Loor's one too." The warrior girl stepped towards him proudly, but faltered when he backed away again. "I remember you too. I think I used to like you?" Loor looked mildly shocked, and Dane smirked at her reaction. Bobby turned to him again and he looked back down, avoiding the boy's gaze. Dane couldn't stand to see the betrayal in his ex-lover's eyes. Bobby's voice was barely a whisper.

"What did you do to me?"

"I…" Saint Dane scrambled for words to explain himself. This was it. He needed to tell Bobby that he knew what he did was wrong. After that? Well, he didn't know what he'd do. He didn't know what he could do. "I made a mistake."

"He admits it!" Loor jumped in again. She pointed accusingly at him. "The demon admits he used you in his evil plans!"

"At least I have the courage to say I did!" Dane glared at the girl. "Unlike all the Travelers constantly looking to Pendragon as the leader and never giving him a chance to breathe! I admit it, at first I used him as a pawn and nothing more. But at least I let him have a break and did some of the work myself. At least I didn't push him until he broke!"

Loor was once again shocked into silence. Dane chanced a glance at Bobby and saw that he was staring at him with his mouth slightly open. It gave Saint Dane a small boost and he continued.

"At first, it was true. I thought nothing of him. But now I've gotten to know him. His caring nature shone through even with his loss of memories, and I saw his side of things clearly, without anger and hatred barricading the way." Dane paused, and his voice softened. "Now I'm not so sure what I'm doing is right."

"That does not excuse your actions!" The silence from Loor was gone. "You have killed people, terrorized civilizations, destroyed territories! You have done such horrible things, a simple 'I'm sorry is nothing!" She was on a roll, her voice growing louder by the word. "And how do we know you are even speaking the truth? You are a liar, a manipulator! You twist your words to suit your own needs, heedless of others you hurt! We cannot trust you!"

Saint Dane was fuming at her accusations. She was right about everything, but his anger was vicious and uncaring. He opened his mouth to speak.

"STOP!" Their argument stopped short at Bobby's shout. He looked distraught. "I remember I used to agree with Loor, but now I've seen both sides. I don't know what to think anymore. I have two sets of memories, thoughts, and feelings to sort through, and I just know it's gonna give me a migraine, so if everyone could just shut up and leave me alone for a while THAT'D BE GREAT!" He whirled around and dashed through the still-fighting warriors towards their living quarters.

Saint Dane remained in the same spot, even as Loor called for a retreat and disappeared. The Batu warriors hauled off their wounded and the Tiggen guards chased them away. A huge cheer erupted, and they started filing out to celebrate. Soon, there was only the captain and Dane left. She walked up to him.

"Come join us, Lord Dane," she said. He shook his head numbly. The time for rejoicing was not now, not after what had just happened among the three of them. The captain noticed his dejected look and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I do not have the authority to order you around, nor do I know what exactly ails you," she said softly, "but it will be all right, sir. Come around when you feel better." She pat his shoulder and walked off. He watched her saunter off, twirling her short metal weapon, before coming to a decision.

He shook his head again to clear it and started towards where he knew Bobby would be. Before, though, he needed a peace offering of some kind. This whole fiasco needed to end, and he knew he needed to tell Bobby exactly how he felt for him to understand. Dane had a feeling that there was going to be some cosmic clean-up involved later, but he was ready to do whatever it took. Which was probably a lot.

He'd messed up, big time, and was coming to regret it.

* * *

How do I end chapters again I forgot.

Oh well


	10. Chapter 9

Let's go, another chapter of this shitty fic done. _Eterna grazie_ to my wondrous beta, alphaonefourzero, whom without this fic would still be a mess.

* * *

Love is a weird emotion. It makes people do crazy things- things they would never do if they were not under its influence. It comes into someone's life at the most inopportune times, slowly slipping into their everyday actions until, before they know it, it's taken over their life. Love is a fierce motivator, a brave warrior, a foolish friend. And love is confusing.

Bobby Pendragon never thought he would fall in love with his worst enemy. His memory had been coming back in pieces, like fog dissipating in the sunlight. Each new memory only worried and confused him more. He truly believed that all Saint Dane stood for was wrong, no doubt about it. But the man himself? Now that he'd spent time around him, and seen who he actually was, Bobby couldn't bring himself to hate him. This left Bobby with some major problems.

How could he have fallen for such a man? Bobby had seen the horrors the demon had wrought firsthand, experienced them many times. Dane claimed earlier to have changed. Could Bobby believe him? Could he believe anything the man said? Did Saint Dane mean anything he'd ever said or done, or had he been manipulating Bobby and his feelings from day one?

This thought halted all others. _Had_ Dane been lying about his feelings? It would have made perfect sense, coming from him. Totally in character. But even so, the thought that all the raw emotion Bobby had seen in the demon's eyes, that he had felt, had _experienced_, pulled his heart until it hurt. Bobby didn't know what he'd do if it were true. He guessed he'd just go back to fighting Dane, battling to save Halla, although at this point he didn't think he could hurt the man he'd fallen so deeply for.

Bobby was shaken out of his reverie by voices outside of the room. He had caught a guard on patrol of the hallway on his way here and stationed him outside his door. Bobby told him to not let anyone in. The man seemed to be trying his hardest. The muffled conversation briefly escalated, but before Bobby could decipher what was being said, it stopped. A few more words were said, and the door opened. _Useless guard_, Bobby thought.

Bobby knew who it was. He didn't have to use any supernatural powers to know, just the fact that he knew the man who would do this. He turned away and drew his knees up to his chest as Saint Dane entered the room. He heard footsteps slowly approach him, and felt the straw mattress dip as Dane sat down.

There was silence for a few moments. Bobby debated whether or not he should speak, but his thoughts were too muddled to piece together into words. He expected Dane to say something, but the man remained silent, thoughtful. After a few more minutes of silence between them, Dane spoke up in a soft voice.

"I... brought you something." Bobby turned to glance at what the man was offering him. It was a fruit. It looked kind of like an apple from Second Earth, but it was a bright blue. Bobby smiled a bit as he remembered what it was; one of those weird berries that Dane had given him when this whole mess started. Despite his confusion at the time, he had enjoyed it. He reached for the fruit, but the memories of what had transpired soon after and the lies he'd been told had his mood and his hand dropping. He turned back around and wrapped his arms around his knees. Saint Dane sighed and set the fruit to the side.

Bobby knew he needed to say something. There was a proverbial elephant in the room that needed badly to be addressed. But he didn't know where to begin. The conversation was going to be painful, and Bobby wasn't quite sure he was prepared to go through that emotional turmoil. _Like I haven't gone through enough already,_ he thought sarcastically. He breathed in and started with first thing on his mind.

"Why did you lie to me?" Bobby whispered. He looked up at Dane, who avoided the boy's gaze with a pained look on his face. Bobby pushed further. "Where could twisting my feelings like this possibly fit into your plan?"

Saint Dane sighed, defeated, and started to explain. "It did... originally. I'm telling the truth when I say I had nothing to do with your amnesia. I found you outside the flume, unconscious, and brought you back. I was expecting to trap you with me, and carry out my plan here peacefully. I was not expecting you to have lost your memory.

"I saw this as a great opportunity. If I could manipulate you into serving me, with your power, we'd be unstoppable. Halla would've been ours! And that's why I started planting false memories in your head." He put his elbows on his knees and hung his head. "It all would have worked out perfectly, except something... changed."

Bobby had been listening attentively. "What changed?" The demon shook his head.

"Tell me!" Bobby demanded. "It's my head you messed with, I deserve to know why you changed your mind!"

"Look, I can't tell you!" Saint Dane's voice sounded strained, and irritated.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because!"

"That's not a reason!"

"It's as good a reason as any!"

Bobby shot to his feet. This had gone on long enough. "Just fucking tell me, okay? Tell me what major event happened that threw your world _so much _you abandoned your plan to tear the universe apart! _Tell me what happened!_"

_"I fell in love with you!"_

The silence was deafening. Saint Dane's eyes had gone as wide as saucers, and what little color in his face was gone. All the tension between them, which had been building since Dane had entered the room, vanished in an instant. Bobby's mind went blank, except for one thought: _Shit, I think I did too_.

Since he had regained his memory, Bobby had worried that all the time they'd spent together, all the special moments they'd had, were lies. He had worried that it was all a front put on by the demon to continue manipulating Bobby, and that he'd fallen for the ruse. Knowing Saint Dane, Bobby had almost accepted it as fact. But hearing the raw emotion in Dane's voice, and hearing the confession straight from his lips, made Bobby question if Dane actually did mean all he said. He held onto that fragile hope.

Saint Dane's chest was heaving, but his face was completely blank. Before Bobby could say anything, the other man stood up abruptly.

"I will be leaving now," he said stiffly. His eyes were turned straight ahead, and he walked out of the room without another word. Bobby was still in shock, and barely noticed he'd left until the door clicked closed. When it did he shot to his feet again - when had he collapsed in the bed? - and ran for the door. The guard was still there, looking disgruntled. Bobby looked each way down the hallway, but Saint Dane was nowhere to be seen.

"Which way did he go?" he asked the guard.

"That way," he said, pointing to the right. "He stepped out the door and started running. I've never seen someone go that fast before."

Bobby let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I'll bet. Thanks." He patted the man on the shoulder. "You're dismissed."

Bobby ran down the stone hallway in the direction indicated. He got to the end and looked both ways, but didn't see Saint Dane anywhere. He cursed under his breath. Dane was fast. And stubborn. Too bad Bobby knew exactly how to find him. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

All the mental links they'd forged during their training sessions these past few weeks had left a sort of imprint of Saint Dane's mental signature on him. It wasn't much, more like a fingerprint, but it was enough for Bobby to feel how far away the man was. He thanked whatever higher being was up there when he got a lock on Dane's position. It was a good thing Bobby also had a knack for being nosy and exploring the underground extensively during his stay- he knew exactly where Dane was. He ran down the hallway to a tunnel to the surface, and began climbing.

Off to Xhaxhu.


	11. Chapter 10

Wow guys, almost done! We got another chapter after this, then the epilogue, and that's it! I still can't believe it's been this long.

As always, thanks to the wonderful alphaonefourzero, for entertaining me during writers block and giving me some of the best crack ideas ever, one of which you might be seeing soon (in a different story, of course). The conversations we have, man. I almost wish I could share them.

Speaking of weird-ass conversations and ideas: the theme song for this story is now _Bring Me to Life_. Don't ask for context or explanations. You won't get coherent ones.

On with the fluffy reconciliation!

* * *

_"Can you forgive me again?_

_I don't know what I said_

_But I didn't mean to hurt you,_

_"I heard the words come out_

_I felt that I would die_

_It hurt so much to hurt you,_

_"Then you look at me_

_You're not shouting anymore_

_You're silently broken,_

_"I'd give anything now_

_to kill those words for you,"_

"You have a beautiful voice."

Saint Dane started at the voice behind him. He turned his head slightly to see Bobby, who had just landed as a robin and shifted back into human form. Bobby gave him a small smile. Dane turned back to continue watching the festival below, leaning against the cool stone of one of the pyramids. He heard Bobby walk up next to him and sit down, keeping a safe distance between the two of them.

Together, they watched the people laughing, singing, and dancing in the streets. Despite the drought, the Batu people had let their worries go for this one day devoted to celebration. The festival had started that afternoon, and was set to last well into the night. Saint Dane had flown up here to think after their brief argument, comforted by the happy clamor beneath him. He found himself confused as to why the people's joy was rubbing off on him; usually the sounds of pain and distress soothed him. It must be another way the young Bobby Pendragon was influencing him. It felt good.

Bobby shifted next to him, and spoke. "I didn't know you liked Evanescence." Dane glanced at him to see the boy was smirking slightly.

"I remembered hearing that song last time I was on Second Earth," the demon said. "Can't quite recall the rest of the lyrics though."

Bobby chuckled. "Yeah, me neither. Evanescence is too emo for me anyways."

"I resent that."

"You know I'm gonna hang this over your head for the rest of your life right?" Bobby said, laughter growing. "'Saint Dane likes Evanescence'. No one's gonna take you seriously anymore."

"Oh no, whatever will I do."

Bobby put his head between his knees, giggling madly. Saint Dane felt himself smile involuntarily at the sight. The lights from the festival below reflected off Bobby's hair, giving him a sort of multi-colored halo. Dane's breath hitched at the beautiful sight before him. Bobby looked up and caught his eye, flashing a stunning smile, and the demon had to look away lest his blush become too evident.

The tension from earlier had all but disappeared, leaving a fragile calm. Neither wanted to address the problems that needed to be discussed, yet both knew one had to speak. Too many things needed to be cleared up, if their relationship was to be salvaged. If it could be salvaged. Saint Dane dreaded that all he'd done thus far would make what they had had impossible to get back, but he knew that the only way to amend his mistakes was for one of them to speak up. He gathered his courage and took a steadying breath.

"I had everything planned out, you know," he said. "Finding you unconscious at the flume was a bonus in my plan for this territory, and discovering your amnesia only made things better. I realized that I could try to turn you into a pawn in my plans to take over Halla. And try I did- almost successfully, I might add. You are amazingly powerful, Bobby. Having you on my side would make my dominance over Halla complete, and even the combined powers of the rest of the Travelers would not be enough to tear us down. Given correct training, you could surpass even me.

"Then I started spending time with you." He finally met Bobby's eyes, knowing that his own were brimming with emotion. Dane plunged on before he lost his nerve. "Apart from actively being at each other's throats a handful of times, we'd never spent time together. I got to know you. Not your strengths and weaknesses, not features and feelings that I could twist to use in my plans, _you_. Your likes and dislikes, your feelings, your opinions, you, outside this whole conflict, this whole war.

"I fell in love."

Bobby seemed to stop breathing. Saint Dane would've been worried, if he hadn't felt the same way. "The only other time I felt so strongly about someone else ended in disaster as well, so naturally, I felt scared." He smiled ruefully, his gaze drifting with his thoughts. "That's part of why Press always spoke so bitterly of me."

He waited for the ball to drop. The stunned silence was almost humorous, as Bobby processed what Saint Dane just said.

"Wait-" he choked. "Wait, you and Press? _Press Tilton_? My uncle? You dated _my uncle?!_"

The shocked look on the boy's face made Dane laugh. "Do you know another man named Press? Don't think it so unbelievable, Pendragon. We were friends once, as he no doubt told you, and then we were more." Saint Dane looked down, suddenly consumed by emotion. "Then my ambitions got in the way. The day I turned will forever haunt me…" Images filtered through the demon's cracking mental barriers behind which he'd shoved these feelings. Press's devastated face when he discovered what Dane was doing, the heated arguments, the following isolation as Saint Dane coped with the loss and convinced himself what he was doing was for the betterment of Halla, was justified, if he only understood, _everything's going to be alright_. He felt emotions he'd locked away for eons bubbling to the surface, and, unbidden, his eyes stung. A gentle hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his regretful thoughts. Saint Dane looked up from where his head had fallen to see Bobby had scooted closer.

"Hey," Bobby said in a soothing voice, "hey, it's al-" He hesitated. "Well, it's not alright, but you get the idea." Dane chuckled. "Well, uh, let's stop talking about you and him, because it feels a little weird being with someone who once dated my uncle. Let's talk about us."

The moment he'd been dreading. This conversation would be the be-all, end-all, would determine where they went from here. Bobby wasn't going to forgive him, Dane was sure. The demon had manipulated him too much. Saint Dane almost wished he could turn back the clock to- when did this all start? It seemed like a lifetime ago. He just wished he'd listened to what Press had been trying to tell him so long ago. Maybe travel back on his own timeline and give his younger self a slap in the face for being so stupid. This whole mission was a mistake, and if he'd only realized that, this heartbreak wouldn't be happening right now. Saint Dane wanted desperately to convey all this to Bobby and more, but the words seemed trapped within him. He didn't even know if it would do any good to lay his soul bare- no one would forgive such heinous crimes as those he'd committed. He prepared to get up and leave Bobby, leave Zadaa, and maybe just hide in his Solara while the Travelers cleaned up his colossal mess. Then Bobby spoke.

"I never thought I'd fall in love with my archenemy." Bobby said with a laugh. "Just imagine telling that to me a year ago. I wouldn't believe it. I'd be horrified." He went quiet, and Dane gave him a moment to sort through his thoughts.

"I hated you," he said softly. Saint Dane knew it, had felt the same way, but it still sent a stab of pain through his heart. "Now that I have my memories back, I'm just confused. I never would have thought we could be friends, let alone whatever this is," he gestured between them. "And honestly? Now I can't imagine not having this.

"I understand you now. I don't agree with your motives, there's no way in hell I _ever_ would, but I understand where you're coming from." Bobby frowned slightly. "Kinda. Whatever."

Saint Dane had been gazing off in the distance, listening to Bobby's words. He flinched as he felt fingers wind with his own, and looked down to see the boy had twined their hands together. This time, when he looked up, it was Bobby's turn to avoid his gaze.

"I still love you," he murmured, "but we're on different sides and have opposite goals. We can't be together."

The demon's cracked heart fell. It wasn't quite the furious rejection he'd expected, so at least he had that small victory. Bobby moved as if to pull away his hand, but Dane tightened his grip. If this was to be their last time spent together, he was going to enjoy it, opposite sides be damned. He tugged at Bobby's arm, and managed to wrestle the boy into his lap. He situated himself back against the cool stone and wrapped his arms around Bobby's waist, resting his chin in the crook of his neck. Bobby had tensed up at first, but relaxed into Saint Dane's grip. They watched the festival beneath them in a peaceful silence, knowing that with the morning light would come the end of their time together. It was a sobering thought.

The silence lasted only a few minutes until Bobby broke it with a soft laugh. Dane looked up at him curiously. "Nothing," he mused, "I was just wondering when my life became a soap opera."

Dane smiled softly. "Correct me if I'm wrong, " he said, "but aren't soap operas supposed to have happy endings?"

Bobby sighed. "Eventually," he murmured. The grin slipped off his face. "Not always though…" He leaned back into Saint Dane, who tightened his hold around the boy and hummed in agreement. The demon buried his nose in Bobby's neck and inhaled deeply, memorizing the faint earthy scent. He'd never thought he could get so attached to something as simple as the smell of another's skin. He held on to that feeling, hiding it deep in his heart to remember when things returned to normal. Normal? Nothing in Saint Dane's long existence came even close to being 'normal', and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

Bobby stroked his thumb over their entwined fingers resting on his stomach, deep in thought. Dane let him think and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth radiating off the boy in his lap. He figured his lower body temperature would be at least mildly uncomfortable for the other, but Bobby seemed fine, so he let it be.

Dane had started dozing off when Bobby spoke again. "You know, we don't have to be on opposite sides," he whispered. Dane blinked his eyes open in confusion.

"But you already said, you don't agree with what I stand for," he said.

"I never said I'd be the one changing sides."

The demon shook his head. "Bobby, you know I can't do that. I've done too much, gone too far. Turning back now wouldn't work." He meant what he said, though the thought had piqued his curiosity. He was listening.

Bobby was getting excited. He shifted, turning in Saint Dane's lap until they were facing each other, Bobby's knees on either side of his hips. "Just think about it!" he said. "Yeah, you've screwed things up pretty badly, but with the help of the other spirits in Solara we could set things right! You could help too- that would make things go even faster!"

The idea seemed like a good one, except for one minor detail. "After all I've done? They abhor me." Dane's barely-lifted spirits fell again, and he looked down. "No one would trust me. It just won't work, Bobby."

Bobby cupped Saint Dane's face in his hands, tilting his head up to look him in the eye. "Of course they will. I'll convince them that you've changed. I'll force them to trust you, and if they won't listen, we'll fix things without them." The shining love in his eyes, so young yet so hardened by experience, made Dane's heart flutter. It was like a cloud lifted from his vision, and for the first time since he'd begun this doomed journey, Saint Dane saw hope for a better future, a happier one. For Halla. For Solara. For them. A single tear ran down his cheek, and Bobby wiped it away with his thumb, stroking the demon's cheekbone.

"We can try," Dane promised. He settled his hands on Bobby's waist. "Being with you has shown me my wrongdoings. I still believe the people of Halla need someone to set things right for them and help them, but now I see my methods were wrong. I'll settle for being a guiding hand in the shadows." He gave Bobby a small smile. "There are some old habits that will require some work to break, but I will try."

"That's all I'm asking for." Bobby leaned forward and kissed him softly. Saint Dane smiled against his lips.

Morning would come, and they would head for Solara to set things right. It would take a lot of grueling work, and a lot of convincing the other Travelers, but in the end, it would be worth it. All traces of Saint Dane's influence would be wiped from the collective memory of Halla, and things would continue as they were meant to be.

But for now, the two held each other, watching the innocent and oblivious people below dance and sing late into the night. The morning would bring a new day, and the new day would bring change.

They were ready.

* * *

So that happened

I've actually been productive and the next chapter is almost ready, which means you guys won't have to wait till the next ice age for a new chapter! Hooray!

But yeah, if you ever need a laugh, imagine Saint Dane passionately belting out _Bring Me to Life._


	12. Chapter 11

HERE WE GO LAST CHAPTER

There's still an epilogue left, but other than that, we're done! Almost ready to go!

* * *

Bobby took a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out slowly. This was it. This was the moment. The moment he'd been waiting for since he first left his home on Second Earth with his Uncle Press- how many years had it been since then? He had gotten most of his questions answered, courtesy of the demon standing next to him, but now he was going to see. He was going to have physical proof that not everything Saint Dane had told him was a lie. He was going to see Solara.

He was going to see his family again.

Bobby felt a cool hand on his lower back. He looked up at Saint Dane, who gave him a soft smile. "It's going to be alright," he whispered, sensing Bobby's nervousness. Bobby returned the smile before looking forward again.

They were standing in the middle of Saint Dane's room in Kidik, but not for much longer. With a gentle nudge from the demon, they both stepped forward. The room around them flickered, and Bobby gasped.

They had stepped into a meadow. At least, Bobby thought it was a meadow. It seemed to flicker like a mirage. One moment he would see grass and rolling hills, only for it to be replaced with a barren expanse of dark grey rock. He tried looking out in the distance, but everything beyond a few hundred feet grew foggy. With a start, he realized why this was; Solara was healing itself. Now that Saint Dane wasn't actively harming it, it had started to return to its original glory. The bright, grassy field where they stood was a small area of positive energy, which with any luck would grow until none of the bleak landscape remained. Bobby looked to the sky. It was still dark and starry, colorful clouds and flashes of light zipping across the vast dome above like a meteor shower. It took his breath away.

Solara was devoid of people, but Bobby felt the energy of life around could swear he saw people flitting around him, but none of these specters stayed in his vision. He knew these were the spirits of Solara, but it was still a strange experience.

It was beautiful.

Bobby saw something shimmer off to his right. He gasped. Walking towards him, seeming to emerge from thin air, was Loor. Tears had made tracks down her cheeks and she was wearing the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face. But that wasn't what caught his attention the most.

Walking alongside Loor, a strong arm around the warrior girl, was Osa. Bobby hadn't seen her since that fateful day on Denduron, all those years ago. She looked just as beautiful and serene as he remembered. She seemed to be talking to Loor, who was listening raptly. Bobby smiled at the image. They looked so happy now that they were reunited.

A loud laugh had Bobby spinning around. Spader had appeared off to his left, along with an older man who looked eerily familiar. Bobby realized with a start who it was; it was Spader's dad. Last he'd seen the man was on Cloral, having been killed by the poisonous food wreaking havoc on the territory. He looked like an older version of Spader, with more gray in his hair and a deeply lined face. His huge smile matched his son's. Spader was the one who had laughed, drawing Bobby's attention. He looked shocked, in awe of his father, and happier than Bobby had ever seen him.

They walked a few feet and faded, seeming to disappear into the blur of the edges of Solara. Bobby looked back and saw that Loor and Osa had done the same. All around him, he was seeing faint flickers of the other Travelers and their mentors. Gunny appeared briefly with an older-looking black man who must have been the Traveler before him, before vanishing. A pair of jungle cats prowled alongside one another, chatting- they could only have been Kasha and Seegan. None of them paid any attention to the young Traveler from Second Earth and the demon Traveler, standing together in the middle of it all.

Bobby felt the hand on his back slide off, and turned to look at Saint Dane questioningly. The man had taken a few steps back, his hands now clasped behind his back.

"What?" Bobby asked, confused. Dane's eyes were fixed on something behind the other Traveler. Bobby turned back around, and his heart stopped.

"Hello, Bobby."

Standing in front of him, looking totally out of place in this alien landscape, was his family. Bobby couldn't believe it. After all this time, all these years, here they were. He stood there in shock for a moment before he felt a wet nose nudge his knee. He looked down to see his golden retriever, Marley, wagging his tail and panting up at him. Bobby sunk to his knees and numbly scratched behind the dog's ears.

"Close your mouth, Bibs, you're catching flies," his sister, Shannon, said. She looked older than when he'd seen her last, which made sense, since it'd been a couple of years. She would have been about thirteen by now, and she looked the part in her pink tank top and blue jeans, her hip cocked and arms folded. Bobby felt tears brimming in his eyes. Shannon hadn't calls him 'Bibs' since she was two and couldn't pronounce 'Bobby'. She looked in his eyes and a soft, genuine smile briefly shone through her smirk. She had missed him too.

His parents didn't look a day older. His dad was wearing his favorite Villanova sweatshirt and dark green khakis, and his mom wore jeans and black turtleneck under a white sweater. They looked like a completely normal family from Connecticut... standing on Mars. Bobby couldn't have been happier to see them.

His dad stepped forward, his arm around his wife, and said "We expected to see you here eventually, and knew we were gonna have to explain things to you then. We figured there was a chance you'd find out before then, but," he chuckled, looking at Saint Dane hovering behind Bobby, "we never expected this."

Bobby blushed furiously. Apparently they already knew about his thing with the demon Traveler. Well, at least he didn't have to explain his feelings for his ex-mortal enemy to his parents. That would be awkward as hell, and uncomfortable for everyone involved. The mental scarring from 'The Talk' many years ago still made Bobby shudder.

Bobby felt a cold hand on his shoulder and glanced at Dane. "I admit, I hadn't thought it would be like this either," the demon said. He smiled down at his partner, and Bobby felt his heart lift. "I would have it no other way."

Shannon ruined the moment. "Don't know how the whole 'ages-old spirit of mankind' biology works, but use protection, kids."

Bobby's mom shouted "Shannon!" as his jaw dropped. She had changed a lot. Wow.

"I would never-" Saint Dane squawked indignantly. Bobby would have laughed at the demon's scandalized expression, had he himself not been sputtering in embarrassment. Shannon laughed and lightly punched her brother's arm. "Kidding." Bobby rubbed his arm and took a deep breath, calming himself. His face burned. _This was supposed to be a sweet reunion, damn it. _Well, that was Shannon for you.

Finding his family had been the driving force for Bobby those whole time. He had done amazing and terrifying things as a Traveler, but wanted to tag out of the game more times than he could count. He always managed to hang on with the thought that someday, somehow, he'd be with his family again. He never questioned how, or why, or even when. He just hoped. It kept him going in the worst of times. Now that they were here with him, Bobby didn't know what to do. The careful chitchat had tapered off, and they stood staring at each other.

Bobby was about to say something to break the silence before it got awkward, but his mom did it for him. She opened her arms, and Bobby willingly went to her. He felt like crying. It felt so good to hug his mom again, after all this time. She always made him feel safe and loved. He remembered when he was a little kid, and would wake up with nightmares every once in a while, his mom would come into his room, no matter how late the night or early the morning, and hum to him, holding him as he cried. She hummed now, that same sweet tune that he never could place. Bobby was glad he managed to hold his tears in now.

He felt his dad close in behind and hold him too, and another, smaller form wiggle her arms around his middle. He stood, encased by his family, and smiled.

The sweet moment was interrupted by Marley barking and a low growl that didn't sound very dog-like. The family pulled apart and Bobby looked over at Marley, who was wagging her tail and jumping at Saint Dane, trying to lick his face. The demon growled at the dog again, and Marley backed off and sat down to scratch her ear with her hind paw. Saint Dane looked up to see that everyone was staring at him, and had the good grace to look away, resolutely ignoring them. Bobby grinned and shook his head.

"Bobby," his dad called, grabbing his attention. "We have to go."

"What?!" He had just gotten them back, and they were leaving again? "You can't leave yet, we have so much to catch up on! Don't go!"

"We'll be back, silly," Shannon huffed. "Can't get rid of us that easily."

"Then why..." Bobby trailed off as he saw a figure walking towards them.

His mom smiled and put her hand on Shannon's shoulder. "There's someone else here to see you." They began to fade from view just as Bobby recognized the newcomer.

"You know, I like to think of myself as pretty good at figuring out what's gonna happen," Uncle Press said, "but I gotta tell you, I did _not_ see this coming."

Bobby broke into a run and threw himself into his uncle's arms. Seeing him was almost more powerful than seeing his parents. Bobby had _watched_ Uncle Press die, had held him in his arms as the man said his final words. At least with his parents, they'd been gone before Bobby had tried to come home after Denduron. But now, with his entire family back together, the floodgates opened. Bobby cried. All the pent-up emotion from the past couple years let itself out, and Bobby sobbed into his uncle's shoulder. Press just stood there, holding the boy, allowing him this moment of weakness.

"I promised you I'd see you again," Press said. "I try to keep my promises."

Bobby sniffed and pulled away. He looked into his uncle's eyes and laughed. Press smiled and said, "I'm proud of you, Bobby. You've made mistakes, as we all have, but you made up for them far more than I could have possibly hoped for." He clapped Bobby on the shoulder. "Good job." Press looked over Bobby's shoulder and said a little louder "And speaking of mistakes…"

Bobby turned around to see Saint Dane freeze from where he'd been trying to escape. The demon turned back slowly, trying not to look like he'd just been attempting to disappear into the fog. It almost worked, too, if not for the fact that he wouldn't meet Press Tilton's eyes. He crossed his arms and looked off to the side, playing it off. "Yes?"

"Don't think you can run away that easily," Press said. He stepped away from Bobby and toward Dane, who took a subtle step back.

"If you're going to berate me for what I've done, don't bother," the demon said bitterly. "Pendragon took that liberty upon himself."

Press continued his advance. Saint Dane uncrossed his arms and took another more obvious step back, his suave facade cracking a little. He looked scared. "I know I've made a lot of grave mistakes in my existence, but I plan to make up for it, so you can drop the menacing act!"

Bobby watched as Dane forced himself to stand his ground. Press walked up to him and stood silently in front of the demon. Despite towering over Bobby's uncle, Saint Dane trembled as he looked down at the man. His frightened eyes sharpened, and he yelled, "What do you _want?!_"

A beat, then a whisper. "I'm sorry." Saint Dane's breath caught at Press's murmured words. "I shouldn't have given up on you." He held his arms open.

"I made a mistake."

An impossible second passed, then Dane did the unthinkable. Bobby watched a complete transformation happen as Saint Dane, scourge of Halla, destroyer of territories, broke down on the shoulder of his old friend and lover. Press held him tightly and rubbed his back, whispering soothing reassurances into the sobbing demon's ear. Bobby thought _he'd_ been emotional, but apparently Dane had a lot of bad feelings that had been held in too long.

The boy marveled at how different Saint Dane seemed, now that all pretenses were gone and all barriers were down. The proud, arrogant demon was replaced by a sad, desperate man who clung to his former friend as if he were his only lifeline. It was pitiful, but at the same time, it gave Bobby hope. If Saint Dane could show this much weakness, it showed that he truly had changed. That there was hope for the future.

The result of that hope was immediately shown when the equivalent of a fireworks display went off in the sky. Bobby looked up in wonder as new clouds exploded into being with bright bursts of light and color. The stars flashed, crystal clear and beautiful. Bobby looked down to see a transformation happening to the land as well; the flickering mirage-like images from earlier had solidified into a lush meadow. It was as if flora and greenery were sprouting from the grey rocks themselves and flourishing in the new life, the new _hope_ that filled them all. The blurry edges of reality in the distance disappeared, and the meadow became an endless paradise.

Saint Dane's sobs quieted until he and Press were simply holding each other. Bobby couldn't see Saint Dane's face, as he had buried it in the crook of Press's neck, but Press himself looked happier than Bobby had ever seen him. His smile was threatening to split his face in two. He caught his nephew's eye and winked. Uncle Press knew exactly what was happening to the landscape. This was what he and the Travelers had been trying to do for so many years now. This was what they had been fighting with their very lives for. All the pain, loss, and death, leading up to this very moment. Well, maybe not this _particular_ moment, but the idea of it.

Salvation.

Bobby cleared his throat. The hugging was getting a bit awkward, now that Saint Dane's crying jag was over. Press pulled away slightly, and cupped Dane's face. He wiped away the remaining tears and smiled at the demon, whispering something Bobby couldn't hear. Saint Dane looked like he was ready to burst into tears again, but managed to hold it in. He nodded, and Press placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. He had to stand on his toes to do so, which made Bobby laugh a little.

Saint Dane turned away from his ex-lover and went to stand next to Bobby. He smiled at the boy, and wound their fingers together. Dane had this little smile on his face that made him seem to glow with happiness. It was so rare that the demon looked truly, purely, happy. Bobby felt elated. Their conflict was truly over.

Uncle Press crossed his arms and smirked at them. "You two are good for each other. I'm glad things turned out they way they did, though if you'd have told me about this about a year ago I'd have laughed in your face." They nodded, both having had similar thoughts. The final outcome to their battle was definitely one they hadn't imagined, that was for sure.

"That said," Press continued, "now that everything is over, there's really only one thing I have to say." He turned to Saint Dane and glared at him, only half serious. "Take care of my nephew, you old devil. I know he's not technically my nephew, but still. If you hurt him…"

Dane chuckled and squeezed Bobby's hand. "The meaning is clear, though you might have to wait in line." This drew a shake of Press's head and a final fond smile at the two of them.

"Well!" Like a switch being flipped, his entire demeanor changed. He spun around and clapped his hands, and with a sound like thunder echoing across the land, the other six Travelers shimmered into existence. They stood in a silent half-circle, most looking surprised and confused, all with varying looks of awe on their faces as they gazed over the newly healed landscape.

Press strode to the center and addressed the group. "It has been a long hard war, friends, but now that's it's over, you all have a choice." He held his arms out. "You can stay here in Solara and become all powerful, all knowing spirits, guiding the destiny of mankind from the shadows. Or," he smiled, "you can go back to your territories and live out the lives you lost."

There was a chorus of astonished gasps. "You can do that?!" Patrick said incredulously, followed by a few murmured agreements.

Uncle Press laughed. "Sort of," he replied. "I can send you back to your homes to the last time you were there and you can continue your lives from that point with all the knowledge of the universe, with no way to visit the companions you've made on other territories and no one but your ex-acolytes to talk with it about."

Awkward silence. Gunny broke it by asking, "What about the other Travelers? We can't just… _not_ talk anymore. I've grown rather fond of old Spaceman here." He ruffled Spader's hair to prove his point. The aquaneer swatted his hand away with a grin.

Press frowned. "Yeah, not the best idea, I'll admit. It's just that there's no way to keep the flumes open after this, unless you want Solara to keep being drained of power."

Gunny shook his head sadly, but Bobby's mind was racing. He had an idea. A small one, maybe foolish, maybe not. It might not even be possible, but the only way he'd find out was if he asked.

"What about the rings?"

All of the Travelers looked at him. Aja scoffed and said "Of course that wouldn't work. He just said the flumes have to go, and the rings are basically small, portable flumes."

Bobby conceded her point with a nod, but looked to his uncle, who'd gotten a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're right, Aja," he said. She looked proud for a moment, until Press continued. "They _are_ smaller versions of the flumes. Which means they use a lot less power. Which means…"

"We might be able to keep them!" Spader jumped in. "Not quite as good as visiting friends, but hobey, I'll take what I can get!" He bounced a little on the spot, his grin widening. "Able to reclaim my life _and_ stay in touch with Pendragon and the crew? Sign me up!"

Those assembled agreed wholeheartedly, nodding and vocalizing their joy, but Bobby kept his eyes on Press. He honestly didn't know what he'd do if his uncle said using the rings wouldn't work. He had forged too many strong ties these past few years, and the thought that he might have to cut them loose seemed like an impossibility.

"That might just work!" Press exclaimed. Bobby felt weak with relief. "It would take a little reworking of the system, but the energy the rings use is such a small fraction of the power of Solara, it wouldn't matter anyways. That is, if you keep the deliveries strictly to papers," he added.

They cheered. Bobby found himself being grabbed and hugged as the overjoyed hubbub filled the air around them. These friendships would be able to stay, even though it would be… _interesting_, to say the least. He clutched Saint Dane's hand excitedly and looked at him, before realizing something kind of integral to his continued happiness.

"Um, Uncle Press?" Bobby asked. Press turned to his nephew and the smile dropped off his face when he saw Bobby's serious look.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What is it?"

Bobby felt a little awkward saying this, but it needed to be addressed. "Where will Saint Dane go? I mean, he's not from any one of the worlds, so…"

Press smiled slyly. "Well, I thought that would be obvious," he said. "He's going with you."

Bobby stared, mouth agape. He definitely hadn't expected that. Hoped for it, maybe, but he never thought that it might actually become reality.

Blank shock gave away to blind joy, and Bobby wrapped his arms around the demon. Dane laughed out loud, a sound Bobby didn't often hear from the mostly-somber man, and flung his arms around Bobby's shoulders, lifting him in the air. Bobby gasped as he was spun around once and dropped down again, Saint Dane holding him close all the way. Bobby laughed back and pulled back to kiss the ridiculous man, but he sobered up when he saw Loor walking toward them.

He stepped toward her, knowing they had some things that needed clearing up before this could be truly over and they could part ways. He didn't know where to start. He opened his mouth to say something, but Loor interrupted him.

"Had things gone differently," she started, then hesitated. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "We might have been together. But I see that is no longer meant to be, so friends we shall remain." She leaned forward and encased Bobby in a hug. He stood there, slightly in shock and somewhat saddened. He really did like Loor, it was just that… things had changed. Different events had affected them. Different feelings had arisen. That was life, he guessed. Bobby hugged her back.

"And hey," Bobby said as they pulled apart. "Sorry about running away from you that time. I wasn't myself."

"It is forgiven," Loor said. She smiled and walked back to rejoin the semicircle of Travelers. Bobby looked at them again; this family he'd created out of strange circumstances and even stranger people. He wouldn't give them up for the world. He looked up at the man who had started it all, and in the end, had ended it for the sake of something a lot more precious than ruling the known universe- love. Bobby grasped Saint Dane's hand and looked to Uncle Press. They were ready to go.

Press looked back at the others. "You guys ready? It's gonna be a little hard setting things back the way they were before all this happened, but I believe we can do it."

Each Traveler nodded. They had been through a lot these past few years, after leaving their old lives behind. They were now about to reclaim what they lost. Whatever happened after that, they would do it together, mostly, and that would make it worth it.

Bobby laughed at something that occurred to him. "How do you think Mark and Courtney will take this?" he asked Saint Dane, gesturing between the two of them.

Dane chuckled, and pulled Bobby close to his side. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out together." He smiled fondly at the boy, who looked at Uncle Press. Bobby closed his eyes, prepared for wherever the future took them next.

Press snapped his fingers, and the world went black.

"_Here we go_."

* * *

FINAL CHAPTER WILL BE IN A WEEK OR TWO, WHENEVER ALPHAONEFOURZERO AND I CAN GET TO EDITING IT

HAPPY TIMES, FRIENDS!


	13. Epilogue

HOLY SHIT GUYS

WE ARE ACTUALLY DONE

FINISHED

COMPLETAMENTE

WOOOOOO BOY THIS HAS BEEN A WILD RIDE FROM START TO FINISH

The real authors note is at the bottom. Enjoy the happy fluffy epilogue until then!

* * *

"Get in loser, we're going shopping."

"Why did I let you watch that movie?"

"Because you love me. Also because Mark would've had your head had you not."

Bobby laughed and climbed in the car. He threw his bag in the backseat as Saint Dane pulled away from the school parking lot and got on the highway. He leaned over and gave the ex-demon a kiss on the cheek, before getting swatted away. "Don't distract the driver."

Bobby smiled. "Don't lie, you love it."

"Yeah."

One year later. It was weird to think that only a year ago, they had been battling over the future of all that was and ever would be. Now, Saint Dane was picking him up from one of his last days at Gregory Davis High, making Mean Girls references, and teasing him.

Life was strange, but strangely perfect.

Re-acclimatizing himself to Second Earth had been interesting, but with the help of Mark and Courtney, Bobby had soon fallen into the rhythm of things again. Saint Dane, on the other hand, had taken the adjustment a bit harder. For one thing, Dane had had to get used to living life as a 'normal creature of Halla', without any of the shapeshifting and travelling and other supernatural powers he'd been using as a spirit. Then, Bobby's two friends had to be informed of the change in their relationship. They had to come to terms with the fact that Dane was no longer the bad guy, and that he would be essentially moving in with them on Second Earth.

Those first few weeks were tense, to say the least.

One of the things that helped Saint Dane integrate himself into their lives was that when everyone went back to their worlds, he was dropped off on their territory in a brand new, twenty year old body (It still weirded Bobby out a little every time he saw Dane's new, younger look. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he thought it was _hot_). Saint Dane's fabricated life was essentially this: he was a foreign exchange student who had moved to Stony Brook to go to the local community college, and who had started dating Bobby. It sounded good, and with a little forging of papers and some Solara hocus-pocus, the new Daniel Saint-Clair moved into the small town. His 'friend group' (the Travelers plus Mark and Courtney) still called him his real name, claiming that it was a nickname to those who asked. All this made things much easier, though Dane jumping every time he realized someone was calling him when they called his new name would forever be a source of cheap entertainment for Bobby.

Once the hostilities had died down, and Mark and Courtney had warmed up to the ex-demon, they took it as their personal mission to introduce Saint Dane to every single Second Earth pop culture thing they could think of. That first month was filled with movies, books, pop songs, and food. Lots of food. Mark had been eager to drag Dane down to Garden Poultry until he found out about the whole Andy Mitchell thing. That cut down on the things they had left to show him considerably, but Courtney almost rioted when she realized Dane hadn't read Harry Potter.

Another interesting happening over the course of that time was that, about a week or two into his return, Bobby and Courtney had had a talk about their relationship. Then, of course, there was the whole 'he and Saint Dane were dating thing', which was sure to be a factor. Luckily, Courtney had understood completely, and had a little secret of her own to share: during Bobby's flights across Halla, she'd gained a bit of a crush on Mark. That came as a surprise to Bobby, but he cheered them on anyways. Two weeks later, they were together. Bobby approved.

Now Bobby's life was back to normal- or rather, as normal as it could get with a world-shattering ex-demon as his boyfriend.

Bobby's phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open, putting it on speaker. "Hey Mark. What's up?"

"We're hungry and were thinking of going to that new restaurant that opened up on the Ave," Mark said. "What's it called again? Chatty New?"

Courtney's voice butted in. "It's Château de Nuit, French for Castle of Night. It's this French cuisine place that Mark wants to go to and I am completely against-"

There was sound of a brief scuffle, and Mark had the phone again. "Ignore her, we should go there."

"But I want to go to Garden Poultry," Bobby complained. "Not some fancy French place."

"But Booooobbyyyyyyyyyyy," Mark whined. Bobby heard Courtney shout "_Yes_!" in the background.

"Okay then, let's take a vote," Mark said. "Whoever wants to go to Garden Poultry, say 'aye'!"

Courtney and Bobby answered. Mark harrumphed. "Okay, who wants to go to Château de Nuit?"

Saint Dane finally entered the conversation, throwing his vote in with the French place. Bobby glared at him. "Well, it's a tie," Mark said dejectedly. "I guess we have to go somewhere else…"

"My vote counts as two, we're going to Château de Nuit," Dane announced. He cut off Bobby and Courtney's protests, saying grandly, "I'm the adult here."

"Awesome! See you there!" Mark exclaimed.

"Dane you jerk-" Courtney began. Bobby closed his phone before he could hear more of their arguing. He crossed his arms and huffed.

"Traitor," he mumbled. "You're supposed to be on my side." He glanced to the side to see Saint Dane smiling smugly. "And you're only technically an adult. Give us all a few more months and we'll be adults too," he added.

"Stop whining, it's unbecoming."

"Stop being a stuck-up jerk."

"When klees fly."

Bobby sighed and smiled. He settled back in his seat as they continued on their drive. Dane reached forward and turned the radio on, switching it to his favorite classical music station. Bobby groaned.

Despite the many, _many_ bumps in the road they had driven over to get to this point, Bobby couldn't help but think to himself, _Things can't possibly get better._

And in that moment, everything was perfect.

* * *

AAAAAAAAAAANND DONE!

I actually can't believe this is finished. It took a whole year out of my life, for only a measly thirteen chapters (that should tell you my work ethic)

My endless gratitude goes to, of course, alphaonefourzero, who not only kicked my butt into gear whenever I dropped the story, but has also become quite a good friend and given me plenty of fond memories to laugh at. Without her, I honestly would have given up back at chapter eight. Go give her all the hugs

You'll also be happy to hear that I'm not done with these two yet! Alphaonefourzero and I are writing a bunch of little oneshots set in the Amnesia verse, soon to start posting! (And by soon I mean at some point in the future bc I'm lazy and we're both busy but yeah)

Have fun and enjoy life!


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